


Starting Over

by hawaiigal52



Category: Ugly Betty
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-17
Updated: 2014-07-17
Packaged: 2018-02-09 06:02:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1971636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hawaiigal52/pseuds/hawaiigal52
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A/N: Here it is, ladies. I have no idea when or how often I’m going to be able to update this one right now, but it sort of just...came out, so I’m going with it. Hope you enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

Starting Over

Chapter 1

 

Betty Suarez hurried on her way back home from her first big meeting as the new managing editor of, “The New Londoner”. As literally the only non-English employee of the magazine, she felt the weight Lindsay Dunne had placed upon her shoulders very heavily. 

Betty wanted desperately to do a good job, especially since he had gone out of his way to come to New York and recruit her himself. In the current economic climate in publishing, particularly print, she knew just how flattering that was and how lucky she was.

As she turned the key in her lock and stepped inside her small, rather shabby flat, Betty sighed, thinking of him. Her former boss, unlike her new British one had gone out of his way to avoid her. 

Since he had signed her release form (the one he HADN’T tried to burn, that is), he had failed to answer any of Betty’s calls or emails and she hadn’t heard a word from him since. It had been close to two months now and though she had tried at first to find out how he was doing, Betty’s sadness at losing her best friend of four years had now turned to bitterness and regret. 

Regret over all the time and effort she had made over the past years on his behalf now seemingly being forgotten because she had chosen her career and herself over him. She hadn’t left him, she reasoned; she had simply stepped away from a career that didn’t fit her. 

One that never really had and followed her own path, back to her initial interests in writing things that actually mattered to her, instead of continuing to allow herself to get side-tracked into the world of fashion, simply because that’s where he was.

She looked around the flat , determined to tackle some of her editing and make the most nutritious meal she could on her limited budget. But instead, she ended up snacking on cheese, finishing up a bottle of wine, and heating up left-over pad thai from  
her last night out three days ago, when Christina had almost literally dragged her out to a local pub.

Two hours later, she stretched out on the ratty sofa the previous tenant had left, yawning and rubbing her eyes, as she placed her glasses on the equally shabby side table she had ‘re-purposed’ from a deserted storage unit the landlord had kindly allowed her to sift through for furnishings, since she had none when she moved in and was sleeping on a rather worn mattress the same landlord had donated to her when he saw her trying to sleep on the sofa, with it’s springs sticking out.

Just as she started to drift off, she heard a knock on her door. She rubbed her eyes, and felt on the table for her glasses, squinting at the time on her cell phone, and seeing it was close to nine, meaning she had fallen asleep almost an hour ago. 

She knew this wasn’t the best neighborhood, in spite of the many friendly people she had met in her own building, so Betty pulled the cricket bat out from her tiny closet, near the door and tried unsuccessfully to peer out the peek-hole; finding it much too dirty to allow her to see.

She waited for a moment to see if whoever it was would simply leave. She really didn’t want to have to explain to some person trying to win a trip to day camp or raise money for a sick child that she absolutely didn’t have any money to spare and that was the best possible scenario she could come up with to explain who might be at her door at this hour.

There were three more definite knocks. After a moment, she heard, a faint voice, “Betty? Betty Suarez? Are you there?”

“Maybe. Who wants to know? What do you want? I have a gun!” she lied. 

She heard a small, decidedly familiar laugh, “No you don’t. Aren’t they illegal here?”

“Oh, right. I forgot. Who is it?”

“Daniel.”

“Daniel...who?” he deserved that, she thought, shocked, and angry at his behavior of cutting her completely out of his life. Still,  
she had to admit, she was slightly excited, thinking he had come all the way here to talk to her, even if it was two months late.

“Betty...can I please come in? My feet hurt. I’ve been walking all day.”

“Good. Too bad. I don’t know any Daniel here in London.”

She could tell he was leaning against the door, and talking quietly so he wouldn’t disturb her neighbors, “Betty, come on, you know it’s me...I’m sorry. I need to see you. Let me in.”

Finally, taking a deep breath, she relented and rather hesitantly opened the door. She bit her bottom lip and looked into those oh-so-familiar blue eyes, and seeing the look of remorse and regret on his face, she knew in an instant that she would forgive him anything. 

Betty could never hold a grudge against the man, no matter how much he wronged her, no matter how hurt she had been, or no matter how long he had waited to come to her with his tail between his legs. The point is; he had come. He was here! In London; in her flat. The minute she saw him, she couldn’t help herself, she pulled him into one of her hugs.

As she felt his arms wrap around her waist tightly, she was somewhat surprised to hear him sobbing softly in response to her warm greeting, “Oh God, Betty! I’m so, so sorry! I don’t deserve your friendship. I never have. You’re too good for me. Can you please, please find it in your heart to forgive me for being such a hard-headed idiot?”

She pulled away, and took a look at him. He was dressed rather casually for him; wearing a button down shirt, open at the collar with no tie, and dark, loose-fitting jeans, with Vans and a long, dark overcoat, which he now thrust his hands in the pockets of, once she no longer had her arms around him.

He looked down, clearly embarrassed and ashamed, “Betty? How are you? God, you look good! It’s...fantastic to see you again. You’re so...so...pretty! I mean, it seems like forever since I’ve seen you.”

“Well, two months IS a long time.”

He looked back down again, clearly ashamed of himself, nodding, “I know. It is. Betty, I’m so…”

“Sorry, yeah. I got that, Daniel. Come in. I’ll make us some tea. Have you eaten?”

He smiled briefly, as he followed her into her small kitchen, looking around, “Nice place you have.”

She eyed him ironically, “I’m in the middle of decorators.”

He furrowed his brow for a moment, then smiled, remembering and nodded, “Of course you are. Very funny, Betty. So...tea, huh? Do you have any crumpets or...biscuits or something? You look cute as a Brit.”

She shrugged, taking out two cups and filling up her kettle, before she reached for a box of tea bags, readying them, “I’m not a ‘Brit’, by any means. I’ve never felt more American and more out of place. There are no other Americans at work. I’m literally the only one. It’s a little intimidating sometimes to be such a fish out of water here.”

He laughed, then pointed to the framed red poncho she had mounted on her wall in the living room, “I think you’ll figure your way through it, Betty. You’re the expert on navigating shark infested waters, remember?”

She shrugged, realizing he was right, of course. She had certainly made her mark at Mode, in spite of showing up her first day in that hideous poncho, and in spite of not knowing a thing about fashion when she first had started there four years earlier. She had not only survived; she had thrived there, and really made a name for herself.

After a few minutes of rather awkward silence, as they stared at one another, almost in shock that he was actually standing in her kitchen, they both jumped when the kettle started to whistle as it came to a boil. 

Betty poured the water over their tea bags, and offered him some honey, then led him into the living room, and sat across from him in a well-worn easy chair, crossing her legs underneath her, and tucking her bare feet tightly into the cushion to keep them warm. 

She thought for a moment, then sipped her tea, and waiting for him to do the same, “You...just got here? How long are you in London?”

He seemed to hesitate before he spoke, “I got here yesterday. I’ve been...well, sort of afraid to come see you. I was scared to death you wouldn’t let me in; that you’d be too mad. 

Your sister wouldn’t tell me where you were. I had to get the address from Justin, and he even yelled at me for taking so long. Your dad just gave me a sort of disappointed look and didn’t stop Hilda from yelling. Mom… uh...told me you had contacted her a couple of times.”

She looked down into her cup, watching the liquid steam, then sipping it down slowly as she felt the warm liquid slip down her throat, “I contacted you, too. Or at least, I tried to...I left seven messages. My number hasn’t changed. Daniel. Well, it has, actually, but I gave you the new one before I left.”

He nodded, “I know; Betty. I...I don’t really know what to say to you. How to explain why I didn’t respond in all this time. All I can say is...it’s not because I didn’t want to see you or talk to you; beleive me.”

“You could have fooled me, Daniel.”

He looked up again, into her eyes, and gave her a half-smile, melting her heart. But, she needed him to know just how much he had hurt her by his actions. He was like a little boy sometimes, knowing when he did something wrong and just flashing those baby blues wasn’t going to cut it with her this time. 

He looked down at her hand, and grabbed it, “You hurt me, too, Betty. I know I didn’t handle this right. I should have supported you, like I always said I would. I’ve tried before. The time you went to work for Sofia. That was hard enough. 

I know I told you back then that I wouldn’t hold you back from chasing your dream. But...I didn’t know it would hurt this much to lose you. I made that promise before I fell...before I...we’ve been friends for so long now.

It just ripped my heart out when you left. I couldn’t think straight. I missed you so bad. At first, I was really mad. I couldn’t believe you would do that to me...not even tell me. Then, I don’t know. I just was numb, in shock that you really were leaving, you know?”

As he continued to hold her hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb, her mouth felt suddenly like cotton. Why was he making her feel so strange, she thought? She had a huge knot in the pit of her stomach as he touched her. 

The way he was talking to her, so softly, his low, gravelly voice sent shivers down her spine as the timbre of it seemed to reach her very soul. He looked at her, and leaned forward, taking her by surprise as she felt his lips on hers, soft and gentle, just for a moment. It was the briefest of kisses, but it seemed to scorch her, to sear through to her.

He brushed back her hair on one side and touched her cheek, “I...should go. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I was and...that I’ll be staying in London, if you...feel like you want to talk to me.”

Once she could talk again, she managed a hoarse whisper, “For how long?”

He gave her a smile, “I guess that’s up to you, Betty.”

She was confused, “But...what about...your job?”

He gave her his lopsided grin, “I don’t work at Mode anymore. I stepped down as Editor-in-chief. You should have seen Wilhelmina’s face! I’ve never done anything on my own, like you, Betty. I think it’s about time. I’m starting over.”

Her eyes widened as she realized all the implications of his words, “Here?” she whispered.

He nodded, and stepped closer, hugging her, as her whispered into her ear, “Yeah, Betty. Here, in London. I’ll call you, okay?” He kissed the top of her head, then turned to go, leaving her utterly speechless as he went. All she could do is nod and blink, her mind in utter chaos. Daniel was here!


	2. Two

Starting Over 

Chapter 2

Song- It’s All for You (Sister Hazel)

Disclaimer: I don’t own Ugly Betty!

 

As soon as Betty lay down, she surprisingly fell sound asleep, although her head was swimming with thoughts of what that tender kiss had meant. It was so brief, she could almost tell herself it never really happened. She turned, moaning as she tried to remember just how if felt to have Daniel’s lips on hers. 

She blinked, her eyes wide, as she saw a form standing at her bedroom door. “Daniel? What are you doing here? I thought you left? I didn’t leave the door unlocked, did I? How did you get back in?”

He smiled as he walked to the bed, and stood over her, looking down at her, and stroking her hair, “You’ve gotten even more beautiful than you were that day at your sister’s wedding when I first knew…”

“Knew what?” She yawned, stretching lazily, and feeling around her night stand for her glasses. 

“How I felt about you. How I REALLY felt about you. I should have put it together then; when Hilda said that, it hit me. But I figured I’d have more time to...I don’t know, talk to you about it, I guess. But then, before I knew what hit me, you were gone. I was mad. I felt like you just deserted me.”

She gave up looking for her glasses and pulled herself up into a sitting position, leaning her back against the headboard as Daniel sat down on the edge of the bed, taking her hand in his. She took a deep breath, “What did Hilda say?”

“Remember her speech? About how Bobby told her he would do anything for her? Throwing himself under a bus, all that?”

“Yeah, sure. I remember.”

“Right. Well...after that, when she said when you...would do anything to try and protect someone. When you know them better than they know themselves?”

“Oh, of course. That speech was really beautiful! I loved it.”

“Me, too. It just...well, kind of made me think of you. Of us.”

“Us? As in...us, us?”

“Yes, Betty. Us. You and me. Remember, I had just pulled that stunt of giving Henry a bad reference. Which I know of course, was the wrong thing to do, but…”

“You did it to for the right reasons. You did it to protect me.”

He nodded, “Uh huh. And when you yelled at me like that, and said that stuff about me dating Trista was going backwards, too, I just...well, I guess I sort of thought you might be...uh...a little bit…you know…”

“What?’ she asked, knowing full well what he was implying, of course.

“Well, maybe...I don’t know, a little jealous?”

She looked away, and he took her chin with his index finger and pulled it back to him, then leaned forward till they were face to face, gazing into each other’s eyes.

Betty drew a breath as he got closer, then closed her eyes, feeling his lips on hers again, only more firmly this time. She opened her eyes, and gave him a look, “Wait, you said you thought I was jealous of Trista?”

He nodded, “Weren’t you?”

“I refuse to answer on the basis that it might incriminate me.”

He rolled his eyes, “Not an evasive answer in the slightest! Just confess, Betty! You were jealous, weren’t you?”

“Maybe. But the thing I want to know is; what did you say about Hilda’s speech making you realize something? What did it make you realize?”

He looked down at her sheet, and suddenly grinned, “You didn’t bring your Little Mermaid sheets to London?”

She blushed slightly, “Don’t be silly. I haven’t had those for a long time, now.”

He smiled, as he leaned towards her again, “Too bad. I thought they were kinda hot! You really freaked me out with that stuff about sleeping in my arms, you know.”

She made a face “I’m sure.”

“Not because I was so...repulsed by you, Betty. Just because I was worried that I had...you know, seduced my young, innocent assistant. You were so...sweet back then, that’s all. I didn’t want to be the boss that sleeps with EVERYBODY. 

You were special. Different. Unique. I never wanted you to feel uncomfortable around me or anything. I wanted you to be able to do your job and feel at ease, safe.”

“I did.”

“Good. But…now…”

“Now what?”

“Things are different.”

“Yes, they are.”

“I mean, you don’t work for Mode anymore.”

“No, I don’t.”

“You don’t work for me anymore. I’m not your boss now.”

“No, you’re not.” her breath hitched as he began to inch closer to her again, “Daniel...I…”

“You...what, Betty?” He smirked, as he moved in for the kiss. 

“Huh? I...never mind. I don’t remember...uh, what I was saying.” She mumbled, as she felt those lips once more, even more urgent this time. But then, suddenly, she didn’t feel them, she didn’t feel his hot breath on hers, or his one arm around her waist anymore. She looked up, and he was gone. Had he ever been there? 

She slid back down her headboard, frustrated and slightly annoyed with herself. Had she dreamed the whole thing, she wondered? This was maddening! She honestly didn’t know what was real anymore. Had she ever actually talked to Daniel earlier? She had to know.

After throwing back the covers, and getting up to make herself a snack, she started pacing, back and forth across the kitchen floor, trying to calm down and get her feelings under control. She looked at the clock on the wall. Five am. How in the world was she supposed to get any sleep now?

She fought with herself for almost twenty minutes before she went and found her glasses and took out her cell phone, pushing the contact button she had almost deleted several times in the past week and was now glad she hadn’t had the guts to do it. 

After several rings, she heard a gruff voice answer, scratchy from sleep, “Hello? This is Daniel.”

“It’s Betty. I’m sorry to wake you.”

“It’s okay. What’s up?”

“We need to talk.”

“Okay. Should I come there?”

“No. I’m getting dressed now. Where are you?”

“At the Haymarket. Do you know it?”

“Yes. I’ll be there in about half an hour. Is that okay?”

“That’s...great. I’m in suite twenty-two fifty seven. I’ll see you then.”

As she hung up, it occurred to her that given the circumstances, Daniel might possibly misunderstand her calling him in the middle of the night, and coming over to his hotel to...talk. 

Surely they knew each other well enough that Daniel wouldn’t misconstrue her intent in needing to talk. She simply felt she had to see him, face-to-face, and make sure he was really there, that she hadn’t just dreamed him up, like she had in her bedroom.

She changed her mind three times on what one wears to visit a man in his hotel room early in the morning. . A man who you haven’t seen for months. A man who...well, suddenly didn’t just seem like, Daniel, her friend and ex-boss, but simply a man. 

She got dressed, finally settling on the most stylish jeans she could find and a loose, long, button down shirt, pulling her long, dark hair up in a high ponytail and slipping on some black, strappy heels that weren’t too high.

As she ran down to the cab she had called so she wouldn’t have to ride the tube this time of day in her less than stellar neighborhood, Betty jumped in quickly, calling out the address, and leaning back in the seat, trying to figure out what she intended to say when she got there, 

“Hi, Daniel. I just needed to see you in person to make sure I wasn’t just having a sexy fantasy about you. Oh, by the way, just because I’m coming over to your hotel in the middle of the night doesn’t make this a booty call!” Hmm...maybe not! 

In too short a time, she arrived, and standing outside the room he had told her was his, Betty tapped lightly on his door, only to have him open it immediately, as if he had been impatiently waiting for her to arrive. 

He grinned, “You know, Miss Suarez, I hope you didn’t just come over here, expecting me to put out! At least, not before we’ve had a few glasses of wine, that is. It’s been a long time, I may need to loosen up a little, first to get in the mood!” Krap, she thought; he really DOES know me too well!

She rolled her eyes, pushing him inside the room, and looking him up and down, running her hand up his arm, to reassure herself that he was indeed, real and not just a figment of her imagination, “You are really here, then?”

He nodded, “I’m here, Betty. And...you’re here. At my hotel. At the crack of dawn. Or in the middle of the night. Whichever it is. I’m so jet-lagged it’s all the same to me, really. So...what is it you came for? What do you want?”

As he stepped closer to her, her heart started beating a mile a minute. “Daniel...I..I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...to… uh….”

He laughed, seeing how uncomfortable he had made her, and led her inside, grabbing her hand, “Betty, relax, will you? I’m not...expecting anything, okay? I know you better than that. What’s wrong; were you really afraid I would think this was a booty call or something?”

She blushed, putting her head down, “Well..I...the...uh, thought did occur to me after I called you.”

He laughed again, smirking, as he ran his hand sensuously up her arm, “That would be...nice. But, like I said, I do know you better than that. You had your serious voice. You sounded upset; lke you really needed to talk about something. Please don’t tell me you want me to leave already. Give me a chance to make things up to you at least.”

She shook her head, “No, of course not. You have every right to be here. It’s a free country.”

He nodded, suddenly brightening up, “Yeah! It is. It is; right? I mean, except for the high taxes, I guess.”

She smiled,”Right. So...you ARE staying, then?”

He moved closer to her, looking down at her tiny frame, “Like I said, Betty. That’s sort of up to you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you. Make no mistake, I came here to start over. Not just start a new career; one that I make for myself, but more importantly, to start over with...you. With us.”

“Us?”

“Yeah, you remember how badly I messed things up with you, when you first came to Mode; how I tried to get you to quit, making you do all those crazy things, all that?”

“Of course I do.”

“Right...yeah, I was sort of hoping you had forgotten.”

She eyed him, “Forgotten the cole slaw? And the dog...and the outfit? No, sorry. Forgiven. But not forgotten.”

“Okay, I deserve that. Well, anyway; I want to do whatever it takes to start over fresh; MAKE you forget that week, make you really forget all the stupid things I did to you over the years and make things right between us.Especially the past two months. 

I’m here...to ask you to forgive me and to beg you to let me try and make up to you for what a total ass I’ve been, Betty. Whatever that takes. If it takes...crawling, begging, scraping gum off your shoe...straining your cole slaw, whatever…”

“Well, if you’re really looking for something to do...Daniel. I DO need a new assistant.” the challenge in her eyes made him smile, “Assistant, huh?”

She nodded, thinking he was going to turn her down flat for certain, “Yeah. I do. Lindsay authorized me to hire someone.”

“Well, then, maybe I’ll submit my resume.” Daniel looked her square in the eye, meeting her challenge head on, “I’m not wearing the outfit, though.”


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starting Over  
> Chapter 3  
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Ugly Betty!
> 
> A/N: So, here is the third chapter in this little tale. I should be able to update it fairly regularly again once things settle down from the end of the school year and when Alan and I return from California on the twenty-third. Anytime between now and then, I can’t really say for sure, though. I’ll try to sneak in a chapter or two when I can. Glad you’re all enjoying this one. 
> 
> Song: Addicted to You...Avicii, ft Adele

Betty cleared her throat, feeling suddenly awkward and silly for walking him and rushing over in the middle of the night practically just to reassure herself he was really here, “I don’t know why I felt like I had to come over here so early. I’m sorry, Daniel. I should let you get some sleep. You look exhausted.”

“Thanks! Hey, we can’t all be young and beautiful!”

She smiled, somewhat shyly, “You...think I’m beautiful?”

He looked at her, touching her arm slowly, “Well, yeah. Sure. You know you are, Betty. But you don’t have to leave. You just got here. So, what do you think, anyway?”

She looked around, “Nice place. How long are you staying here? And don’t keep saying it’s up to me!”

“Well, it is, really. If you tell me to get lost, well, I’m not going anywhere for a while at least, actually. Not until you agree to give me a shot.”

“A...shot? Daniel...you must be loopy from jet lag!”

“No, I’m not! Well, I mean, actually, I am. But...that doesn’t change how I feel about you, Betty.” 

He grabbed her hand and pulled her into him by her waist, “I don’t want you to leave yet, though. Why would you leave now? We haven’t really...talked. Besides, it’s late. I mean...early. I don’t want you going out before it’s light. It’s not safe.”

She smiled, and put one hand up to his cheek, “Daniel…you’re so sweet; always looking out for me. But I don’t know why I came here, really. I just...well, I had a dream earlier and I guess I got confused and had to make sure I hadn’t just...dreamed that you were here, if that makes any sense. But I should go...”

She started to head for the door, but Daniel put his hands on her arms, and looked at her sternly, “You keep saying that, but I don’t see you leaving. Betty, come on, just stop...you’re not going anywhere. I told you it’s not safe. Besides...I don’t want you to go. Please...stay? Let’s talk. I get that things are different between us now and I know that’s my fault. I realize how badly I messed up. But, please don’t just go...”

She went into the living room area of his suite and found a chair. She sat and rubbed her hands on the arms of the chair, feeling the sumptuous material as she looked around at the luxurious surroundings, “Okay, Daniel….we’ll...talk.”

He found a chair and pulled it closer, then smiled at her, “Wait a minute. DId you just say you had a dream about me? What kind of dream? A...naughty one?”

She blushed, “No! Of course not! I mean...well, I don’t know. You uh...sort of kissed me.”

“I know I did.”

“No, I mean...in my dream.”

“Oh, I see. So, I...kissed you, huh? Then what? Did I go for second? Sorry, just kidding!

She reddened, “Daniel! NO! You….didn’t...do that. Look, forget I said that. I just was freaked out and wasn’t sure that you were really in London after I...well, had that dream. But, let’s talk about something else, okay? Do you want that job? Or is it...beneath you?”

He thought for a moment, “Well, hey, I guess I have to start somewhere. And if I did become your assistant, I’d have plenty of time to convince you to forgive me, huh?”

“I already forgive you, Daniel.”

He put his hand on top of hers on the arm of the chair, “Yeah, but you said you couldn’t forget about how I treated you. That first hell week I put you through was bad enough. But I didn’t know you back then. 

Not...contacting you these past two months was worse. We’re best friends now. I know I should have...made an effort, Betty. It just...well, it hurt too damn much to even talk to you. But I still should have tried. I know that now. I was an idiot. But you already knew that.” he smiled at her, and moved closer.

Betty didn’t answer for a moment, then she looked down at his hand on hers, feeling as if she was getting lost in those eyes of his, “Daniel, I...I have to go. Get some more rest. We’ll...talk later.”

She stood up to leave, her eyes starting to blurr and her head, swimming with the implications of all he was saying right now. It was too much, too fast. To go from thinking she would never see him again, that she had lost his friendship forever to...well, she wasn’t exactly sure where this was leading, but he seemed to be saying he wanted to start a relationship based on...something more than friendship.

She simply had to get out of there. After that crazy dream she had, she was concerned that she would go along with what she had been dreaming, just to know what it felt like to have his lips on hers again, then...well, who knows where that might lead? It seemed insane, to think of her and Daniel...together. 

After all he had already said to her, all he had done for her, to leave his job, his family, his life behind...it completely overwhelmed her. But then again, everything about Daniel always had. His lifestyle, his wealth, and power, and everything that came with that lifestyle had always been so exciting. His charm, good looks, all of it were certainly appealing. 

Of course, that’s not really what made Betty’s heart beat so fast right now, though. Many of those same qualities she could have had with Matt Hartley, if that’s all she was after. But after almost a year of time to reflect on everything that went wrong with that relationship, Betty had come to the conclusion that she had been drawn to Matt for...other reasons. 

For what she saw initially as his sweet vulnerability in spite of his circumstances. The same kind of qualities she had always admired in...her best friend. Daniel had a way of making you forget just how powerful his family was and even how handsome and charming he was, because he seldom ever flaunted his position. Sure, he used his good looks to attract women in the past. But not since his marriage to Molly. 

Just as she headed past the window, she caught a glimpse of Trafalgar Square. Wow, this place was really incredible, she thought! Daniel was...caviar. She was...a sausage and pepper gyro. That dream was just that; a dream. Anything based in reality was just wishful thinking on her part. Something Betty had never allowed herself to do since the first day this man came into her life.

She felt his hand on hers, and he backed her against the door, just as she put her hand on the knob. “Betty, hold on! What are you so afraid of? Me? I’m not going to...attack you; you know. It’s just me, Daniel. Same guy you’ve always known. You can trust me. Why are you afraid to be alone with me all of a sudden? 

Look, I’m sorry I kissed you before. Clearly, I freaked you out. No, you know what, I”m not sorry I kissed you, damnit! You’re just going to have to deal with it. It’s what I should have done a long time ago. At the very least, when you first told me about drunk dialing stupid Henry. Maybe then you would have known... oh, hell. Come here...”

He grabbed her arms again and kissed her. This time, there was nothing soft about his kiss. Betty felt his tongue, exploring her mouth, his arms pulling her into him, going from her back, to her arm, then holding her tightly around the waist, while he ran his other hand through her hair. 

Betty felt mesmerized, captivated, totally unhinged by his kiss. He made her feel as if she was floating. She became completely lost in the moment. Nothing else mattered. Time stood still, as she responded to his lips, his mouth, his tongue, dancing with hers. She hugged him to her, kissing him back with all the intense feelings she had for him right now.

After several minutes, he finally released her, a look of satisfaction on his face she had never seen before. He raised his eyebrows, “That was…”

She nodded, “Yeah…” They both looked at one another and the moment seemed frozen in time. Betty panicked, and saw her opportunity to run out the door, this time before Daniel could stop her again.

She literally ran down the stairs at first, then, deciding she didn’t want to try and run down so many floors, she got out of the stairwell and headed for the elevators, wondering if Daniel was going to chase her. But he didn’t. 

And as she made her way through the grey of the early morning London streets, Betty started doubting herself again. Daniel surely wasn’t going to stay here for long, she reasoned. He had a life in New York. He didn’t belong here. What would he do? He’d be bored without a job. As romantic and appealing as the idea was, Betty was nothing if not pragmatic about the situation. 

Daniel didn’t need to work financially, but he was bright, and quite capable and she knew he needed a challenge. He wasn’t going to just put his life on hold to come chase her around London and start dating, and what...marry her or something? That was...well, nuts! She recalled her little fantasies about Matt and look where that had gotten her! 

Daniel was...different, special, amazing, fantastic. He had her heart already. She knew that. Deep down, if he had asked her to go to the moon with him and flashed those baby blues at her, she would have gone in the blink of an eye. 

But he had seemed hell-bent on continuing back towards girls like Trista, she thought with a sudden pang of...something, stabbing her. So, who was she to compete with...girls the size of her shoe? She remembered ‘Lexy, like sexy’, and of course, Amanda...Daniel obviously had a type of woman he was into. 

And she was nowhere on that list. She wasn’t about to fool herself after all these years of watching the man go from one woman to the next. This trip he had made was just to ease his own guilty conscience for cutting her off and not supporting her and the kiss...well...she wasn’t exactly sure how to explain that. Curiosity, maybe?

Regardless...of that kiss, Daniel would likely get restless and be on a plane back to New York before the week was up, after they had a nice little dinner, and talked and laughed, like old times, and she watched him go off with a tall, leggy blonde, her heart in shatters. Wait...would she care? Why should she? One kiss shouldn’t make a difference.

She decided not to go home. She was hungry and knew there was no food in her fridge anyway. So she succumbed to the intoxicating scent, wafting past her as she walked, and ducked into a small little cafe, ordering the most decadent pastry she laid her eyes on in the window to go along with her coffee.

As she sipped down the smooth mocha latte and eagerly gobbled up her pastry, she took out her phone, “Christina? Are you in town this weekend?”

“Yes, luv. I’m just heading out to do a bit of shopping for materials at the market, actually. Where are you? Do you want to meet?”

“I’m at the Donny Frank cafe around the corner from the Dorcester. I stopped for a mocha and pastry.”

“Ooh, dear! What’s up, luv? You sound bloody awful! Is everything alright with work?”

“Busy, but...yeah, that’s not the problem.”

“What is it?”

“Daniel.”

“Daniel? Again? Betty...look, I’ve told you before; if he doesn’t want to be a grown up and respond to your texts or…”

“No, it’s not that. He’s here.”

“Here? In London? Really?”

“Yes, really. He and I...met. We talked. He says he’s quit his job at Mode and he wants to stay here...he said it’s up to me how long he stays. But...I don’t know what he means by that. Oh, and he...well, he kissed me.”

“Where?”

“In my flat, then his hotel room. Oh, and in my dream.”

“Betty! I meant...on the hand, the cheek, the mouth, or...anywhere else?”

“Christina! The...lips.”

“I see. Was it...were they, pecks or...more?”

“More.”

“Ooh….cheeky bastard! Were these...mutual kisses? Or did you just stand there? In shock?”

“Well, the first time, I just stood there, because it was only for a really quick peck. But...the second time, I mean, well after he kissed me in my dream, and then I went to his hotel, it was...mutual. Then I sort of had a panic attack and ran away.”

“You went to Daniel Meade’s hotel room? You? Betty! You go, girl! But then you ran away? Why, in heaven’s name?”

“Christina...why would you think I would…”

“Because you’re human? Oh, come on, Betty! It’s perfectly understandable. You’ve been mooning and moping over the man ever since you came here. I can’t get in a word edgewise over you, saying, ‘oh, I should never have hurt Daniel! I should have had the guts to tell him I was thinking about this job. 

I should have let him know I was moving to London. I betrayed our friendship. He hates me now...blah, blah, blah! You are STILL addicted to that man, Betty! Nothing has changed there. But if the man’s followed you here…”

“And quit his job!”

“And quit his job...and kissed you, clearly, he has some pretty strong feelings for you, as well! So, sit tight. I’ll be there straightaway and we’ll sort it out.”

That was Saturday. Sunday went by, with Betty nursing the hangover brought on by hanging out with Christina in the pub, literally crying into her Guinness.

Monday morning came, and Betty was feeling much better. She hadn’t heard another word from Daniel and had been too embarrassed to try and contact him all weekend. She wondered if he had, indeed decided to get back on a plane, and return to New York as soon as he came to his senses. 

An apology was one thing. Daniel was so impulsive sometimes. It was just like him to fly all the way to London just to apologize in person when a simple email or phone call would have sufficed. But to come here, expecting a relationship…

After a few early meetings with advertisers, Betty headed to her office, to check her emails and sort through her mail. She rushed past the temp at the outer desk, mumbling something about her first appointment already being there. 

As she sat down, she suddenly realized someone was at her window, with his back turned. She got up and went to extend her hand, “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m afraid I didn’t catch your name. I’m sure the temp mentioned it. I’m Betty Suarez. I didn’t realize I had a meeting scheduled this morning. Can I help you with something?”

She gasped, as Daniel turned around quickly, smiling as he shook her hand warmly, “Yes, Miss Suarez. You can hire me. As you can see from my resume on your desk, I’m more than qualified to be your temporary assistant, until you find someone more suitable. I may not have a background in this specific type of publication, but I was the Editor-in-chief of both Mode magazine in New York for three and a half years, and Player for almost six months. 

So that gives me far more experience required than in the job description of ‘First hand knowledge of publications and how they operate’ I do believe. And having worked with someone very much like you, I imagine I can anticipate your every need, Miss Suarez. So, my only question is; when do I start?”


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starting Over
> 
> Chapter 4
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Ugly Betty!
> 
> A/N: So, it’s quarter after 3 and I can’t get back to sleep because I’m so excited about my vacation as well as the fact that I find out about one of the f/t jobs I interviewed for today. Say a little prayer for me that I get it! Katrina’s birthday was yesterday, and her mom, finally being gainfully employed full time was the main thing she said she wanted! I would love to grant that wish!   
> I’ve decided I’m going to read the movie script Heather and I wrote during my trip, so I can see Alan’s thoughts as an ‘outsider’ (if we have time, during the drive). I got to do a little creative writing in a professional development class Monday and it got me pumped again to plow ahead on my novel, now that the school year is up and since I’m only taking one graduate course over the summer. Here’s the next installment of my little post-series story. Hope you enjoy! I’ll check back in with you when I get back from San Fran!

After looking at Daniel for a moment or two, in utter shock, Betty noticed his hand on hers, and blushed, stammering, “Um...I...I’m really sorry I took off like that the other day, Daniel. I…”

He smiled, rubbing his thumb lightly over the back of her hand, as he shook his head, “It’s okay, Betty. I knew you were just freaked out. I get it. I was happy you didn’t slap me considering how long it took me to come after you. But, what do you say? Have you filled the position yet?”

“Well, no. We haven’t even posted it yet. I...I’ll have to talk to Mr. Dunne, if you’re really serious. I mean...how ‘temporary’ would you want to make this?”

He raised his eyebrows, and gave her his confident smile, “How about two months? Does that give you enough time to find a permanent assistant? That should be more than enough time for me to decide on what I want to ‘be when I grow up’ on my own, and also hopefully to help you forget what a big jerk I was for the last two months.

I figure the same amount of time I screwed up is probably what I owe you in indentured servitude. You can...order me around, humiliate me, abuse me all you want. Sound fair?”

She smiled, and nodded at him, shaking his offered hand, “Fair enough. Are you sure you’re up for this, Daniel?”

He narrowed his eyes in challenge, “Oh yeah, I’m totally up for it. Bring it on, Miss Suarez. I can take whatever you’re willing to dish out. Don’t hold back. I know you’re just dying to pay me back for all the stupid things I had you doing for me back in New York. Well, here’s your chance. I’m at your mercy.”

“Just remember, Daniel. You asked for this.”

He laughed, “Please. I’m really shaking in my boots. Working under you couldn’t possibly be worse than having Alexis as my boss. Or working with Wilhelmina. Besides, let’s be honest. We both know you wouldn’t hurt a fly, Betty.”

“That’s Miss Suarez, actually.” she hid her smile and withdrew her hand, pointing to the door, “I take my coffee…”

He grinned slightly at her attitude, “I know how you take your coffee, MISS Suarez. Two milks, three sugars. Unless you’re having tea, or a latte. I’ll be right back with that and your Danish. Will there be anything else?”

She shook her head, “Not right now. No Danish today, though, thanks. I had a bite before I left this morning. But when you get back with my coffee, I’ll show you how to access my schedule. I’ll tell the temp she can go home, she’s been replaced. At least, for the day. We’ll see how long you last.”

He winked, as turned back to her, “Oh, you’d be surprised at my staying power. I never give up till the job is done, MISS Suarez.” 

The moment he left, Betty collapsed into her chair, chewing on her bottom lip and wondering what she was letting herself in for, in hiring Daniel as her assistant, even for a short time. 

She emailed human resources to let them know that she was still looking for someone, but that there wasn’t a rush anymore, because she had found an interim applicant for the next few months, then she told the temp in the outer office that she could go home, but Betty would sign her voucher for the day.

How did she let Daniel talk her into this? She realized that she had practically dared him to take the job, so she had no one to blame but herself. She had to admit, part of her was thrilled to be working with him again, in whatever capacity. But on the other hand, she was finally doing the job she had always wanted, and doing it quite well, all by herself, she thought. Would having Daniel here throw her completely off her game? Especially given the recent bombshells he had dropped, that he not only had feelings for her, but planned to stay in London because of her!

She busied herself, answering emails and looking over copy, then grabbed her phone off her desk when she saw it vibrating, “Good morning, this is Betty Suarez.”

“Yes, I know it is. Good morning to you, dear. Although it’s actually still night time here. Luckily, I’m a bit of a night owl. Old habits and all...So, is my son driving you insane yet?”

“Mrs. Meade! It’s so good to hear your voice! How are you? I really miss you!”

“Well thank you, Betty. I miss you, too. In fact, I was hoping to come see you sometime next month when I come to Paris to visit Alexis and DJ for my grandson’s birthday.”

“Oh my goodness, I almost forgot. How old is DJ, again? Fifteen, right?”

“Sixteen, actually. So, how’s it going with my son? Any new developments?”

“Mrs. Meade...I...don’t…”

“Can we at least get you to call me Claire? You no longer work for my son. And in spite of how he’s acted recently, I know how much he cares about you. So, I’m hoping we’ll continue to see quite a lot of each other.”

Betty reddened at Claire’s implications, remembering the night of her farewell party and how Claire had first made her aware that Daniel might have feelings for her. Something she hadn’t even considered until then. Now, it seemed that the woman was insinuating even more about a possible future with her son. This whole thing was completely unfathomable.

She stammered, “Well, yes, I...um...I just hired him, actually.”

“Hired him? As what? Your cabana boy?” Claire sounded amused.

“No, I told him I needed an assistant and he came and told me he would do it for a few months until I found someone permanent for the job.”

Claire paused for a moment, as she considered this scenario, “I see. That sounds interesting. Are you sure you know what you’re getting yourself into, though? You have met my son, Betty. You know what a flirt Daniel is.”

“I...of course. But, that’s with other girls. And in the past. He’s not like that anymore. He’s changed. Besides, we’ve always just been friends. Things may be a little different now, but...”

Claire chuckled, “A little different? I’ll grant you, his marriage and his friendship with you both calmed him down considerably and helped him become a real man. 

However, he is still his father’s son to some degree. He is a Meade man. Not to mention, he’s head over heels in love with you, Betty! Just tell him he needs to let you get some work done, that’s all. 

I don’t want him distracting you so much that you lose the job you worked so hard to get. Daniel has a way of losing sight of the big picture sometimes. He gets so focused on...well, you know. He gets tunnel vision. But I’m sure I’m not telling you anything new about him. It’s just...he’s never focused all his charms and affections on you before.”

“I...I guess you’re right. I’m actually the one who suggested he work as my assistant.”

Claire smiled to herself, “I see. Well, just remind him that he needs to keep things strictly business. You have a job to do and don’t have time to entertain him. Good luck in trying to get him to keep his hands to himself! If you like, I’ll have a word with him, Betty. He may have come there to apologize to you and start his life over, but I don’t want him disregarding your dreams in the process!”

“I don’t think Daniel would do that.”

“Not deliberately, of course. He cares deeply for you. He does want you to succeed, too. But...he’s also a bit envious of you, Betty. He sees you have accomplished so much and feels inadequate. He may be feeling a bit emasculated, especially if he’s working as your assistant!”

“Yes...I guess I can see how...oh, he’s here now. He’s got my coffee. I have to go! Mrs….um...Claire. Can I call you back tonight, please? I’d really like to get your thoughts on some things.”

“Of course, dear. I look forward to hearing from you and catching up. Tell Daniel I’ll speak to him, later, as well. And that I said he’d better behave himself!”

“I will. Thanks so much for calling! It was great to hear your voice, Mrs...Claire. Goodbye!” Betty hurriedly hung up her phone and made sure to say Daniel’s mother’s name quietly, so he wouldn’t hear.

As Daniel approached her desk, bearing her coffee, as well as several files, she eyed him appreciatively, realizing what a seriously handsome man he really was. Not that she wasn’t always well aware of that fact all these years, of course. 

It’s just that she never thought of him...’that way’ before. She never allowed herself that indulgence. But now…she couldn’t help herself. He was like that chocolate donut you tell yourself you can’t have and that makes you want it all the more.

He smiled at her and handed her her coffee, holding onto her hands after she had taken it from him, blushing as she looked into those blue orbs, “I...thank you, Daniel. Just what the doctor ordered.”

He gave her that lopsided grin of his she knew so well and loved so much, “Speaking of doctors I noticed your gynecologist's appointment is set for tomorrow. But you have a conflict now since Features went past their deadline to come up with a branding for the new ad campaign. So, I’ll reschedule your gyno for next Thursday. That’s your first available time slot.”

“I...um...okay. Thanks, Daniel. That’s very...efficient of you. What...uh...what do I have today?”

He smiled, looking at her for a moment, then rattled off all her meetings for the day. “Oh, and you have a lunch meeting at one with an ad exec.”

She nodded, obviously only half-listening, “Great! I’ll see you later. I’d better go upstairs and check in with Mr. Dunne. That’s my nine-thirty, right?” she swallowed, and seemed a bit rattled, as Daniel went to put his hand on her shoulder, leaning over her as she looked at her computer screen.

His low voice reverberated in her ear, and seemed to scramble her brain even more, going straight through her, “Uh huh. That’s right, Miss Suarez.”

She looked up, and saw his face right next to hers, “Daniel...I was only joking about calling me that. You know you don’t have to call me Miss Suarez. Don’t be silly.”

He used his proximity to his full advantage, as he spoke next to her face, “Oh, that’s fine. I don’t mind. As long as I get to work under you, I’m happy. I’ll call you whatever you tell me to, Betty. I’ll do whatever it takes to please you. And like I said, you never have to worry about my staying power.”


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starting Over  
> Chapter 5  
> Disclaimer: I don’t own Ugly Betty!
> 
> A/N: I’m back! San Fran was fantastic! I’m really excited about having a great summer and getting started again on my Master’s, as well as job prospects for next year. Not to mention...having met my very own great guy (who happens to be Irish & polish with blue eyes, just like you know who!)

The more Betty tried to get done, the more she found it impossible to concentrate with Daniel there. She was having second thoughts about teasing him into acting as her assistant. 

He was bending over backwards to be helpful, and really had come up with great ideas, but having him so close to her when her head was now filled with random thoughts about why he had followed her to London was proving too much for her.

She looked over at him, sprawled across the conference table, going over proofs of the latest photo spread for an article on a local artist who was using items that had been left out at the dumpster to create one of a kind sculptures. 

He was reading the copy that accompanied the photos and shaking his head, “This article doesn’t really seem to get this idea across fully to me. It’s missing something. The artist is amazing! He takes what was ugly junk and makes it into something beautiful! 

It’s a like a miracle, a rebirth, a total metamorphosis, you know? He’s revitalizing parts of the city with his works of art and giving them hope, bringing them beauty, something to be proud of, to celebrate instead of...what? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Betty blushed, but couldn’t keep the smile from her face, “Nothing. Sorry, I just...well I miss this, Daniel. You getting excited about something and getting inspired. 

I love how you light up and come to life when you’re inspired. I guess I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed working with you. 

You always make work fun. I’ve been so stressed since I got here trying to make sure I did everything perfectly that I haven’t really been able to enjoy my job.”

He grinned, leaning back on one arm, and pulled her hand towards him, “You miss me, Betty?”

She kept her head down, but nodded, “Yes, a little, I guess.”

He rolled his eyes, grabbing her by the waist, and looking up at her as he lifted her chin, his eyes shining, “A little, you guess, huh? 

Gee, Betty...give a guy something, will you? I know I’ve been an ass, but...I did come here to start over with you. Just tell me what it’s going to take to get you to give me a chance, please? 

I’ll do anything you ask. Hell, if I thought it would help, I would wear that damn outfit I made you put on. Although, I don’t think I have your cleavage to pull off the front part, my ass might not look too bad in it, I guess.”

Betty laughed, and bit her lip, looking down at him. He looked so adorable, so sexy, she couldn’t think straight. As he pulled himself up, sitting on the table, and bringing her to him, she leaned forward and their lips crashed together hungrily. 

There was no mistaking the desire in their kisses, as they both groped one another and Daniel pulled her small frame against his. 

They came up for air, and as he held her face in his hands, Daniel smiled at her, “You’re the one who inspires me, Betty. It’s you. It’s always been about you, I think. I was just too dumb to see it. I need you in my life.” He kissed her lips lightly, then brushed his thumb over them.

She fought back tears as she pulled away slightly, “Daniel...I...I don’t know what to say. That’s really sweet of you to say, but this is all just a little fast. I need time to...to… process everything, you know?”

He nodded, as he put a file over himself and swung his legs back off the table, trying to shake off his obvious desire, “Sure, Betty. I’m sorry. I understand.” He straightened up, smoothing down his shirt and rolling his sleeves back down.

 

“I’ll go get us some lunch and let you get some work done, okay?”

She nodded and blinked hard, as she shakily sat down after he left. She jumped as her phone rang, “Betty Suarez.”

“Hey, Betty. How do you like London so far?”

Betty’s eyes widened as she realized she would recognize that voice anywhere, “I like it fine, thanks. What...where are you? Are you still in Africa?”

“No, I’m there. I mean...here, in London, too. I actually just got back from Africa a few weeks ago. I stopped off in Europe, and met with my mother and I...well, I heard you were here, so I decided to stick around before I went back to the states to see my dad. I thought we could...have dinner sometime. Are you free tonight?”

“I have plans tonight. An old friend showed up unexpectedly. I mean...another old friend.”

“Is that all we are now, Betty? Friends?”

“I...I don’t know how to answer that, Matt.”

“I know; this is sudden. I guess I should have called first.”

She rolled her eyes, “Why? Nobody else does, clearly!”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. Look, Matt, I’m...I’m sort of swamped with work right now. But, I do want to see you while you’re in town. How long will you be here?”

“I don’t know, Betty.”

“Please don’t say it depends on me!” she was clearly exasperated. 

“Well, yeah, it kind of does, actually.”

Why on earth was her life always crazy like this, she thought? Nothing, and nobody for months at a time, then, bam! She had Gio offering to take her to Italy at the same time as Henry was showing up at her door, proposing to her! 

And now...she had been sad and lonely for two months, ever since she arrived in London. And within the same few days, she has both Daniel and Matt telling her they had followed her here.

She buried her head in her hands for a moment, then tried to sound non-committal, as she stalled for time to consider this new development in her love life, “Is it okay if I call you back on Friday? You still have this number, I see.”

“Yeah, I had a satellite phone in Africa, but it didn’t even get reception where we were all that much, it was so isolated. I started to call you from the camp, but...I figured you would have moved on and I didn’t want to mess things up for you.”

“Why now?”

“I...well, I was sort of surprised to hear you had actually moved here. Away from…”

“My family, I know. But, my dad is doing much better, and with Hilda married now and…”

“I was going to say, well, Daniel, actually. He’s the one I never thought you would leave behind, Betty. But you did. So, that must mean something. Hopefully, that you’re ready to start over, here in London. Finally get away from the Meades.”

“I...I...um…”

“Listen, Betty, I’m sorry, honey. I have to go. I just got off the plane. I’ll call you Friday, then, okay? It was great to hear your voice, baby. I’ll see you soon! Bye!”

The minute she got off the phone, things got so busy at work that Betty didn’t have time to worry about Matt’s arrival and what that would mean for her and Daniel. Why did things always seem so complicated? 

Daniel had been fairly quiet since he returned from getting their lunch. From time to time, as they spoke, their hands would touch, and their eyes met. 

At the end of the day, he stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, blocking her way.

Betty stood next to him, looking up, “Well, you really were a big help today, Daniel. Thank you so much!”

He grinned, “Hey, I am getting paid, right? I mean, I love you, but if this is a volunteer thing, I should be getting a lot better fringe benefits. Like dinner with the boss. Tonight, my place. Eight o’clock. Wear something...low cut and easy to take off.”

“Daniel!”

He laughed, “Just kidding. Betty...you’re so cute when you’re embarrassed. You know I love to tease you, honey.”

“Honey?”

He shrugged, holding her arms in place as he leaned in towards her, and whispered gruffly, “Yeah, I figure...we’ve known each other long enough to justify me calling you honey. Don’t you think, Betty? 

Or do you still want me to call you MISS Suarez? At least at work? I can do that, I guess, if you prefer. Hey, at least you didn’t make me strain your cole slaw or get gum off your shoes.” 

She laughed, “Well...not yet. Today was only your first day. I figured I’d take it easy on you! Just wait!”

He smiled, running one hand over her cheek, “I see. Well, like I said. Fair is fair. I deserve it, I know, Betty. But...about tonight. How about I send a car around?”

“Daniel...I don’t know about me coming to your hotel room.”

He nodded, looking down at her hands as he intertwined them with his own, “Okay. I understand. Obviously, I make you nervous in a hotel room. Even though we’ve known each other for four years and I never attacked you before. Suddenly you don’t trust me.”

“It’s not that...I just…”

“Yes, it is.”

“Well, maybe a little bit.”

“Fine, I’ll pick you up at your place, then.”

“Okay. Thanks again for all your help today.”

He turned to leave, then looked back at her, as she bit her lip, “Daniel?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m really glad you’re here.”

He smiled, “Me, too. I’ll see you tonight, Miss Suarez. By the way, you make a much better boss than I did. I like being under you.”

She rolled her eyes, and laughed as he left.   
*************************************  
Later that night, after Betty rushed around trying to get dressed, she poured herself a glass of chardonnay and sat at her kitchen counter, trying to decide what she was going to say to Matt and how she was going to tell him that Daniel was there, let alone how to tell Daniel about Matt’s sudden re-emergence. 

She wanted to hear a familiar voice to help her sort through everything, “Hello, Betty.”

“Hello, Mrs. Meade. How are you?”

“I’m fine. But it sounds as if you have something you need to ask me. What was your question? If it’s what I think it is, I’m afraid I’m sworn to secrecy. 

But I can tell you he had me trying to speak up on his behalf to your family before he finally got his head out of his ass and figured out he needed to get on a plane and come after you.”

“You spoke to my family?”

“Yes.”

“What about?”

“Sorry, Betty. That’s part of the whole ‘sworn to secrecy thing’. Next question…”

She blurted out, “Matt Hartley is here in London. He called me earlier. I have no idea what he wants...or expects from me. It sounds like he thinks I’m going to just want to go back to the way things were when he left New York, but…”

“But you don’t want that?”

“NO! I’ve moved on!”

“You have? With whom?”

“I...I...I don’t know. I just have. I don’t have any intention of starting things up with Matt again. I know that much!”

“Good.”

“Good?”

“Yes, of course, Betty. You know who I want to see you with, dear. I know he doesn’t deserve you, but...Daniel does love you.”

“I...that’s so...strange to hear. To imagine.”

“I don’t know why. Think about it, Betty. He’s always tried to protect you. He’s been terribly jealous of any man you ever dated. I personally thought he had a thing for you years ago. I think he did, but he was simply too blind to realize it at the time.”

“I...guess so. He said something like that himself. Now I don’t know what to tell Matt about why Daniel is here.”

“Why does he even need to know? It’s none of his business, really. Whether Daniel was here or not, you’d still feel the same about Matt, right?”

“Right.”

“So, just tell him as much. Say that you moved on and aren’t interested in starting your relationship with him back up again at this point. He’ll understand. He’ll have to. He doesn’t have much of a choice, really.”

“That’s true; I guess.”

“What about Daniel? He doesn’t know about Matt yet?”

“No. Matt just called me today, when Daniel was out of the office.”

“I see. And you haven’t said anything to him?”

“Well...no. I don’t really know what to say.”

“Just tell him that Matt is there. Personally, I think it will be good for Daniel to know he has a little competition. It’ll make him step up his game a bit. Give him a good reason not to do what he’s been doing and sitting around waiting until...well, you get snagged up right under his nose. I think this is actually a really good thing for him. He needs to know you can’t be expected to wait around forever till he ‘figures things out’!”

Betty was quiet for a moment. Claire smiled on the other end, “Betty...what did you want to ask me?”

“Nothing.”

“You wanted to ask me...nothing?”

“I...just wanted to know...oh, never mind.”

“Betty...just tell me, please.”

“Well, I guess...what I really want to know is...what Daniel said about his feelings for me to you.”

“He said he’s in love with you.”

“He did?”

“Not in so many words, of course. That would be too easy. Men…are so complicated! They claim women are, but we are usually pretty communicative. But men...you have to figure out what their monosyllabic grunts mean. They can have such delicate feelings. And don’t get me started on those frail egos of theirs!”

“What did he say about me, exactly?”

“That you were everything he’s been looking for all along and he should have known it the first moment he met you.”

“He said that?”

“Yes, he did.”

Betty’s mouth practically fell open as she contemplated the gravity of that statement, but she didn’t have time to think about it too long before she heard Daniel at the door, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Meade. That’s Daniel. I have to go. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Betty. Remember-be firm. Make him work for it.”

“Mrs. Meade!”

“What? You know as well as I do all those silly girls give in far too easily to my son’s advances and that’s one reason he never respects them. I say, make him wait. You’re worth it and he knows it.”

“I...I have to go.”

“Good luck!”

Betty hurried to the door and as she stood there, holding it open, she got tongue tied, seeing Daniel, looking immensely handsome in his black Armani suit. 

“Daniel!”

He gave her a grin, “You seem surprised. Who else were you expecting, Betty?”

She grabbed his arm and started to usher him out the door, “No one. Don’t be silly. Where are we going?”

He looked back, “Not going to let me in the door, huh? Wow, you really don’t trust yourself to be alone with me, do you, Betty? Afraid you’ll want to tear off my clothes?” he teased.

She rolled her eyes, “No, I’m just hungry!”

He leaned down and kissed her quickly, catching her off guard slightly, “Me, too. Wow, you look...great, Betty!” He glanced down at her sky blue Carolina Herrera dress and matching pumps that she had gotten on a whim a few months ago when she had been there for Fashion Week.   
She hadn’t had an opportunity before to wear it and frankly, hadn’t had the nerve to wear such a low-cut dress. But from the way Daniel was staring at her, she could tell it was the right choice. 

Still, she remembered what Claire had warned her about making things too easy for Daniel. Betty tried to shrug off the matriarch’s advice about her son and try and think of a gentle way to let him know that her ex was in town.

As the evening wore on, they seemed to both relax, laughing and talking about Mode and exchanging quips about Wilhelmina and Marc, particularly, as they both got slightly tipsy from the champagne Daniel had insisted on ordering.

As she reached for a bite of bruschetta, Betty smiled at him, seeing how closely he had his eyes on her all evening, “Daniel...listen, there’s...something I need to tell you. But, I don’t want you to freak out about it, okay? Promise me.”

He put his hand on top of hers, “I promise. As long as you kiss me first. Then...kiss me again afterwards. Just don’t tell me to leave, Betty.”

“I won’t. I want you to stay, Daniel. I told you; I’m really glad you came.”

He smiled, “Well…”

She blushed, and rolled her eyes, hitting him in the chest lightly, then leaned forward to give him the kiss she had promised him, holding her hand on his cheek.

As she pulled away, she looked into his deep blue eyes, and blurted out, “Matt is here in London, too. He just called me today. He wants to meet me Friday. But...I don’t...don’t want…”

He kissed her neck gently and whispered, “Just tell me you don’t still love him, Betty. That’s all I need to hear.” 

She shook her head, staring directly into his eyes, “I don’t love him.”

He nodded, leaning his forehead against hers for a moment, then pulled her close, stroking his hand up and down her back as she ran her fingers through his hair, getting completely lost in his kiss. She whispered quietly against his lips, “I love YOU, Daniel.”

As they parted, he raised his eyebrows, a small grin on his face, “What did you say? You do?”

“Betty? What’s HE doing here?” she turned to see Matt, standing across the table from them, a look of utter shock on his face.


	6. Six

Starting Over 

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don’t own Ugly Betty!

Matt Hartley hated the sight of Betty’s former boss with a passion. The reason he had left New York in the first place was because he was determined to try and forget about Betty; convinced there was something going on between her and her boss, in spite of her many reassurances to the contrary.

If there wasn’t anything going on, why did Daniel bust him in the chops, then start yelling about nobody messing with Betty? She had never had a satisfactory answer for any of his questions about her and   
Daniel and their ‘friendship’, so when he had gotten the opportunity to try and do something to prove himself, he had jumped on it. 

He had hoped to meet someone new, start over, forget all about Betty Suarez. But all he had managed to do the whole year he was gone is miss her even more. He found he couldn’t think about anyone else. Memories of her haunted him, day and night. 

And the few women he had dated weren’t anything like his Betty. And now...here she stood in front of him, more beautiful than ever, wearing a low cut dress that clung to her voluptuous curves, and new, stylish glasses; her hair smooth and bouncy, and her metal braces gone, revealing a blindingly beautiful smile. 

She was radiant, gorgeous, intoxicating. And she was here...with him. Daniel Meade. The man Matt despised. The man he had frequent visions of punching, just to even the score. He had his hands on Betty. His arms were around her tiny waist, holding her closely, as if she were his property. 

It was enough to make Matt see red, seeing that jerk with his hands on Betty, “Get your hands off my girlfriend, Meade!”

“YOUR girlfriend? I don’t think so, Hartley! You gave up that title when you left her in New York to go be a boy scout, remember? Who do you think watched her suffer when you left, huh? Who do you think was there as a shoulder for her to cry on when you broke her heart, again? You had your chance with Betty and you blew it, jackass! So get lost! Go back to Africa!”

Matt pulled Daniel off of Betty and started yelling, too. “You let her go, asshole! You’re not her boyfriend! You never were. You were too busy whoring around with every woman you saw!”

Betty was frantically trying to calm them both down, since they were causing a scene and the restaurant staff was headed towards them at the moment.

“Stop it! Both of you! This is ridiculous! You’re going to get us kicked out of the restaurant!”

Sure enough, the maitre d’ approached them, “Excuse me, gentlemen, miss, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to take your disagreement outside. You’re disturbing the other patrons. 

This is not the place for this. I don’t know how they do things in the United States, but this is not the appropriate place for a ‘bar room brawl. This is a five star restaurant. We simply don’t raise our voices. If you can’t control yourselves, I’m going to ask you to leave, or have you removed forcibly.”

Betty nodded, “Of course, sir. They’re fine. We’ll keep it down. Right, guys?”

Daniel and Matt both nodded, but Matt glared at Daniel and huffed off, “If you’re with him now, Betty, why the hell didn’t you just tell me? Why string me along? I hope you’ll both be very happy together!”

“Matt! It’s not like that! He just got here.” As he left, Betty went after him, and Daniel followed.

Once they were outside the restaurant, Matt turned to Betty, his eyes full and the hurt obvious on his face, “I don’t know why you enjoy doing this to me all the time, Betty. 

You seem to like putting a knife through my heart. You say you love me, but you can never seem to let go of the past. First Henry, now him? 

You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. I couldn’t stop thinking about you the whole time I was in Africa. I tried to forget about you, but I couldn’t. So, I did what I always do, I gave up. 

But at least this time, I had a plan. I wanted to do something good out of what I learned there. Put my money to good use. I wanted to start a community center here, and I thought you could help get me the publicity I needed in your magazine to get the word out about it. 

But I see you’re too busy playing footsy with your ex-boss to do your job. Just forget it! Go back to Daniel, like you always did!”

“She will, you big spoiled baby! Why don’t you keep walking? Jesus! You never stop; do you? You’re as bad as Grubstick! You wouldn’t stop torturing poor Betty about your damn feelings when she was just kissing the guy goodbye back then and now...YOU are the one who left her, remember? So who she is with after you left is her business.”

“No shit, Sherlock! Don’t you think I know I blew it? But why YOU? I thought nothing was supposedly going on between you, before? Isn’t that why you punched me, to protect her honour? Now….”

“Now things have changed. Haven’t they, Betty?”

“Daniel...I…”

Daniel looked at Betty, and doubt seemed to cross his face, “Betty? Tell him what you just told me. You love me, right?”

“I...well, yes, I…I...”

Daniel was clearly upset, and confused at Betty’s hesitance. He stared at her, “You know what? Maybe you need more time to figure out if you really are over this jackass, Betty! You either love me or him. You can’t have us both! Let me know when you decide!”

He stormed off, leaving Betty stuttering, tears in her eyes, “Daniel! Don’t go! I’m sorry! I just…” but he had already left.  
Matt grinned, and pulled her closer to him, “Let him go, Betty! He’s the spoiled baby. You always gave the guy far too much credit. He would never have lasted a day at his job if it wasn’t for you propping him up all the time. Even at his ‘daddy’s’ company! The guy’s an idiot!”

Betty glared at Matt, “Daniel is NOT an idiot, Matt! You don’t know what you’re talking about. Look, I’m glad you have an idea what you want to do when you ‘grow up’, finally, but why did you come here? Why now? Frankly, you have the worst timing in the world. 

I’m sorry, but Daniel was right. You did break my heart before. You never forgave me for the stupid thing with Henry…”

“Betty, that again? How many times do I have to say I’m sorry?” 

He tried to pull her into his body by the waist, but she pushed him away and glared at him angrily, “You don’t have to do anything, Matt. I’m done with you, though. If you want publicity, buy it, like you do everything else.

I’m done trying to encourage you in finding your dreams! You’re a big boy; figure it out yourself. I’m not your girlfriend anymore. I’m no longer going to be your cheerleader. And Daniel’s right about me. I do love him. Not you. 

You broke my heart when you left me back in New York, too. Not to mention the stuff with Amanda. I’m afraid I’m not going to give you another chance to see if you’ll break it again. I don’t trust you enough to give you my heart anymore. I’ve moved on.”

“To him?”

“Yes, to Daniel.”

“He didn’t even stay here and fight for you. He just got his little feelings hurt and ran away like the chicken shit he is.”

“You wish, asshole! Guess again!” Daniel suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere and socked Matt in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. “How’s that for staying here to fight for her, huh? Did you really think I was going to let you have her that easily?”

As Matt held his jaw, Daniel looked at Betty, holding out his hand to her.

She smiled, “You came back.”

He nodded, “Yeah, I’m sorry. I should never have left. I guess I expected you to jump in and tell him how much you loved me instead of him and that wasn’t fair to you.”

Betty smiled, “So, I guess you heard what I just told him?”

He shrugged, “Maybe. Oh, you mean what you said about loving me, and not him? Did you mean it?”

She rolled her eyes, “What do you think?”

They both stepped over Matt on the ground, ignoring his moans, and Daniel grinned, “I think I’ll take that as a yes.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to take it easy on you at work. I have a lot to get done before the launch next month.”

“No, Betty. WE have a lot to get done. One thing in particular that’s on my mind right now should probably ‘get done’ tonight.”

 

Betty raised her eyebrows, “Oh you think so, huh? Don’t get too cocky, Mister Meade. I haven’t agreed to the terms of this little arrangement yet.”

Daniel looked hurt, “Hey, I told you how I felt about you. I said I love you.”

“You did?”

“Yes, weren’t you listening? Several times. And you just admitted that you love me. So...what’s the problem?”

“There isn’t a problem. But in most relationships, saying...that doesn’t necessarily mean you jump into bed right away, Daniel.”

“It doesn’t?”

“NO!”

“Says who?”

“Me! And...your mother.”

“My mother? What’s she got to do with this? Have you been talking to her? I’m going to kill her!”

“No, you’re not.”

“No. But...seriously? She told you to make me wait? How long?”

“Stop whining. And don’t give me those ‘puppy dog eyes’ of yours. It won’t work. Not on me. I’m not one of your little...stop it, Daniel!”

“What? What am I doing?” He slid one arm around her and leaned down to kiss her, but she pushed him away.

“What took you so long to come back and ‘fight for me’, huh?”

“I don’t know. I’m just a little insecure, I guess. You’re right. I shouldn’t have run away like that. I promise, Betty. I’m done running. From now on, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be stuck to you like glue. Can I help you in the shower? Tuck you in?”

She rolled her eyes, “DANIEL! I told you, it’s not happening! Not tonight, Romeo! I’m not…doing that.”

“Doing what?” He pulled her close for a deep kiss.

She gave in to it, but as he went to put his hand on her breast, she slapped it away, “Daniel! Cut it out!”

“Fine! Sorry!”

“I mean it.”

“I got it.” He moved away, but after a moment, he pulled her close again, and gave her his pathetic look again, “You’re sure, Betty? I mean...we have known each other a LONG time! Four years... Come on, baby. You know you want to see what it’s like.”

“Baby? Since when am I your baby?”

“Since...you kissed me like you did. And...since you told Fartley you loved me. And since...I love you. Come on, Betty. What are we waiting for, seriously? I want you. You want me.”

“I didn’t say that.”

He rolled his eyes, “You know you do. It’s been a long time for both of us, Betty.”

“Yes, well one of us is used to waiting past the first date before jumping into bed!”

“How do you figure this is our first date?”

“Because. It is!”

“No it isn’t!”

“It is, too!”

He furrowed his brows, “In what universe? What about...that night we stayed out all night, and I took you to dinner, we sang karoake, crashed a wedding, flirted on the bridge till dawn...that doesn’t count?”

“NO! It doesn’t. I was just being nice to you. We were friends then, that’s all. God, you’re so spoiled! Your mother was right! I can’t believe all those girls just jumped into your bed without making you work for it at all! No wonder you’re so...so…”

“So...what? Good in bed? I still am. I think. I hope. I mean...it’s been a long time.” He continued to try and grope her as they got into a cab, but Betty consistently pushed him away.

“So you keep saying. How long?”

He grinned, shrugging, rather smugly, “Seven, seven and a half, maybe eight inches or so, last time I checked. It varies. But I’m sure with you…”

Betty’s eyes widened, “DANIEL!”

“What? Betty, come on, honey. You’re really not letting me come in?”

As they arrived, she smiled, “No. Afraid this is the end of the line. At least for now. I’ll see you tomorrow, Daniel. At the office. Bright and early. Be prepared to earn your money.”

“Is this just because I didn’t stay before? I said I was sorry, Betty.”

“Yes, you did. But I’m not. You want something in life; you have to earn it. The hard way. You said you wanted to start over, Daniel? See what it’s like to actually deserve something in life, without having it just given to you. Well this is it. I’m giving you a fresh start. You’re starting from square one as of tomorrow. 

Not only with the job as my assistant. But with me. With us. You want my respect at work, you’re going to have to earn it. You did well today, but that’s because I made it easy for you. Tomorrow...I won’t, I can promise you that. I’ll be fair, but I expect you to actually do more work. Be my assistant, not my partner. You haven’t really earned that yet. 

That goes for...us, too. You want in my bed, you’re going to have to prove to me you won’t cut and run the minute there’s a problem like you started to tonight. Got it?”

He nodded reluctantly, “Yeah. I got it, Betty. You’re putting me back at zero. I almost blew it again tonight, when I started to back off. I understand. I don’t blame you, honey. But...really?”

She stood firm, her hands on her hips, “Yes, really. Has anyone ever said no to you before?”

He thought for a minute, then shook his head, “I don’t think so. Well...Molly, at first, I guess. But then she changed her mind. Because I was so darn cute, she couldn’t resist me.” he smiled, somewhat pathetically.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes again at his feeble attempts to gain her sympathy, “Really, Daniel? Well, I can. See you tomorrow at work. Goodnight.”

He sighed, seeing she wasn’t going to budge, “Goodnight, Betty. I’ll see you at the office. Danish tomorrow?”

“Surprise me.” she turned to go inside, then smiled as she saw him wink as he got back in the cab. 

“I will this time. I promise, Betty. I’ll be good. You’ll see just how good I can be.”


	7. Seven

Starting Over  
Chapter 7  
Disclaimer: I don’t own Ugly Betty!

Betty woke up early, anxious to put Daniel through his paces at work and to get as much accomplished towards her upcoming launch as possible. 

As thrilled as she was about Daniel being in London, she wasn’t about to let her dream of running her own magazine die, either. Certainly not when she was so close to seeing it come to fruition.

Besides, she thought deliciously, Mrs. Meade was right; women, like most things in Daniel’s life had fallen into his lap (or bed) far too easily in the past. He claimed he had followed her to London to ‘start over’ fresh, to work for a living, and see what it was like to earn a paycheck. Well, she was determined to make him work not only for his pay, but for her.

She arrived at the office at seven am, but was pleasantly surprised to see Daniel already there, with her coffee and a chocolate donut. “Hey, boss lady! There you are. I have your agenda for the day on your desk. 

I tried to get Paul Basham to re-write that story on the re-purposed city art, but he is…”

“He’s in Greece, on vacation with his family and not likely to answer any calls. I could have told you that, Daniel.”

“No, actually, I was going to say, he’s probably too close to the story he already wrote, so I had one of the interns write an ‘editorial’ piece as a follow up and it’s raw, but much closer to the tone I think you’re really looking for on this one. So, I edited it and put it on your desk. 

Oh, and I also got a new shoot scheduled for next Saturday, with lots of publicity this time, to co-incide with the Olympics in 2012, it should generate more buzz that way. We want to milk this thing and show that we’re the magazine to watch for in order to find out what’s really happening behind the scenes in the city. 

The paper publication is a showpiece, the photo spreads are like works of art themselves, the articles thoughtful and inspiring and the online version is smarter, more up-to-the minute, right? Isn’t that what you’re going for? 

So, I was thinking, for that part of the puzzle we need to get more pop up ads, things targeted to the online readers tastes. You know, like how they do the ads on Minority Report that are specific to each person’s likes and personal interests?”

Betty shook her head, “Not really what I’m going for, Daniel. If anything, I just want it more user-friendly, so the person reading it doesn’t have to be a total tekkie to get how to access the various background pieces.”

Daniel shook his head, “You’re being too cerebral, here, Betty. That’s great, but it’s never going to generate enough income to fly off the shelves if you bury the ads under a bunch of academia.”

“This is a much more intelligent magazine than you’re used to, Daniel. This isn’t Mode! I want people with a brain to read it and be intrigued by it. I want to report on articles that matter and that shape their lives. Not just empty their pockets to the advertisers. I don’t want to pander to them, and hawk their stuff to the poor readers.”

“Those advertisers aren’t the evil empire, Betty. They’re the ones who finance you, and your writing staff, and photographers, you know. They are essentially your customers. They want to be associated with a classy, thoughtful magazine like yours. But they also deserve your respect, not your contempt.”

Betty drew in a deep breath. She was used to being challenged by Daniel on matters like this at Mode. But this was her project, her magazine. She wasn’t going to let him shove his ideas down her throat, either. He was going to have to learn his place here. At least for now.

“I understand your point of view here, Daniel. But my readers are my real ‘customers’ in my opinion. And Mr. Dunne agrees with me. That’s why he hired me. So, I need you to get Paul on the line for me. I do want him to do some re-writes on his original story. 

Sorry, but, we’re not going to take a chance on some new, untested writer’s work for this piece. It’s too important. It sets the tone for the magazine. I want to be taken seriously. Paul has far more experience and his work will stand out a lot more than some nobody’s.”

Daniel furrowed his brow, “Well, I guess it’s a good thing neither your new or your old boss felt that way about your writing, huh, Betty?”

She sighed, “I’ve got two stacks of articles here that do need editing. If you start now, you can finish before we have our meeting with the staff to talk about the launch party at eleven.”

Daniel set his jaw, and handed her the agenda he had put on her desk, “Actually, that was moved up to ten, so you’d have time for your lunch with Christina and still have time to get back here by one to meet with Mr. Dunne. Just be careful you don’t let her talk you into getting drunk. He might not be as tolerant as I was about your ‘liquid lunches’ with your Scottish friend.”

Betty furrowed her brows, “Excuse me? Look who’s talking! That’s rich, coming from you of all people, Daniel! How many times did I have to pick you up off the floor and splash water on you just to sober you up for meetings with your father, or…”

He put a hand up and intertwined his fingers through hers, meeting her eyes with his as they parted, “Truce! Okay? I’m sorry, Betty. Clearly you want to make it obvious that you are now the boss, not me. I get it. Consider my hands slapped. 

I’ll only do what I’m told from now on. Although...that’s not what you ever did when you worked for me. And I’d say we work better as partners than...subordinates. But hey, I’m more than willing to just follow orders. That’s fine, boss. Order me around all you want.”  
She sighed, getting frustrated, as she handed him the stack of papers to edit, then went back to her desk, not sure where she went wrong. He was right, of course. 

When she had worked for him, yes, she had to hold his hand and prop him up in many ways, but he had also been extremely supportive and encouraging of her ideas, welcoming her opinions and giving her lots of leeway to try new things.

Betty now felt less certain of her somewhat vindictive ideas to ‘torture’ him, forcing him to do her ‘dirty work’ in order to teach him a lesson that ‘stuff rolls downhill’ and the guy at the bottom of that hill gets stomped on...a lot!

She sighed, grabbing a good share of the files she had given him back, as she smiled, “I’ll...uh, take care of some of these myself. Thanks for the heads up with Christina. But, she’s not like that now that she’s a mom and a designer with her own business. Well, at least not during the week. 

I am having a lunch meeting with her, but it’s partially a business meeting, too. I want her to design my dress for the launch, so she’s going to meet me at Harrods and have me try on some sample outfits, we’ll have lunch, and she’ll get my measurements at the same time.”

He smiled, “Sounds fun. I don’t suppose I could horn in on your party? I’d really love to see her again and…I could help you with...anything you need help with, like...you know, stuck zippers or...whatever.”

She smiled, finding his obvious attempts to be with her not only flattering, but extremely charming. “Zippers...or whatever, huh? You’re not trying to ‘get in my pants’ at all? This is purely a platonic lunch, then?”

He grinned, holding up his hand, “Scout’s honor, Betty. I just want to join you and Chrisitna for tea and crumpets and be one of the ‘girls’. Now if you should maybe happen to drop your clothes off and stroll out of the dressing room naked by mistake, I can’t say I would mind, but...I have no such fantasies, I assure you, boss lady. This is strictly a business lunch.”

She laughed, in spite of herself, “Daniel! You’re so…”

“Irresistable? Charming?” he suggested, leaning down closer to her, until they were practically cheek to cheek. 

Betty could feel his soft, freshly shaven chin, nuzzling hers and smell his intoxicating cologne, making her slightly dizzy and weak in the knees. He smiled at her, tightening his grip around her waist.

“Betty? Are you okay?”

She shook it off, and walked towards the door of her office, “I’m fine. I’m going to the ladies room. Fine, you can come...with me. But, keep it appropriate, please. This is not…”

“Mode. I know. This is a serious magazine. Got it, Betty. I love you, by the way, boss lady. You’re very cute when you boss me around. Really hot, actually.” He smiled at her, as she bit her lip, and tried to get her feelings in check. 

This was business, she told herself. And she wasn’t going to make things that easy for Daniel, personally, either. Even if he was being completely adorable!

After finishing both his own editing and taking back some of the stack she had grabbed, Daniel stood and reached out his hand, pulling her to her feet, “Come on, Betty. It’s time to get out of here and have some lunch! It’s ten minutes after eleven. Let’s’ go!”

She sighed, still working on her seemingly never-ending pile of paperwork. Daniel grabbed the files in her hand, and placed them back on her desk, looking down at them, then into her eyes, “Those will still be here when you’re gone, Betty. Can I tell you a secret I learned? 

You just have to get used to putting out the fires right in front of you and not thinking you are EVER going to get caught up when you’re the boss. There will always be more work to do. The trick is to let it go. 

You can still go on to live your life and do a good job in the time you’re at the office. It doesn’t have to be ALL you have in life, though, you know. I learned that with Molly. 

You won’t get everything done, but you can simply do enough to know you’re fulfilling your work duties, then you come home with a clean conscience that you did your best, and you can focus your energies on your home life.”

“Do you still miss her, Daniel?”

He shrugged, “Sure. Sometimes. I think about what I thought I wanted with Molly at first, before she got sick. The family, the home...all those same things I really wasn’t ready for with Sofia, although I convinced myself I was, just because I thought that’s what she wanted. I had a small taste of it with DJ, too. What it might be like to...settle down. Get married, have kids. I’m older than you. I am ready now, in lots of ways, I guess. It’s something I’m actually looking forward to, not dreading.

But I think the important thing is...finding that one person you want to ‘settle down’ with. Then you do whatever you have to in order to make it work with them. 

Even if it means...following them across an ocean. Even if it means...quitting your job. Starting over from scratch. From zero. You know the song, there’s still time to change the road you’re on. That’s what I’m here to do, Betty. With you. You’re my heaven. You know that; right?”

She nodded, as they walked out onto the bustling street, and she turned to face him, placing her hands on his chest, “I know, Daniel. You...you mean a lot to me, too. I just...have a lot on my plate right now.”

He smiled, “I know, honey. Believe me, I understand how overwhelming it can be. I was so lost when I first started at Mode. But you helped me through it. You were my partner. It was you and me against...well, Wilhelmina, mostly. 

Now, I want you to let me help you. Let me be your partner, please? I’m not just here to...get in your pants. Well, okay, that too, maybe. But more importantly, I’m here to get into your heart. I love you. I need you. I always have and I always will, Betty.”

She sighed, looking up into his eyes, “This is so not fair, Daniel. You come here...after acting like a complete spoiled jerk, and ignoring me for two whole months...I thought I’d never see you again! I thought I had messed things up, I had lost you forever. Even as a friend. 

And now! Just when I get my head on straight with my career, just when I think I’m over you. After I finally stopped having all these thoughts about you, about what I secretly hoped might happen between us someday...after you got tired of all the silly models you were always sleeping with, of course. Now, you go and show up and...say all these sweet things to me and...you smell so good...and look so good...and...kiss so…”

“Good? What happened to ‘great’?” He bowed his head slightly, closing the small distance between them quickly, as his lips met hers, tongues dueling. He held her face in one hand and tightened his grip around her waist with the other, pulling her body next to his.

After they finally parted, she breathed out, “Great!” as she rested her forehead against his, and shook her head slightly, trying to wrap her mind around this new reality. Daniel was really here. And he obviously wanted her. Very much. She glanced down, then pulled away, but he simply grabbed her tighter, and whispered into her ear, “Betty...baby. How long did my ‘mommy’ tell you to make me wait? Come on. We’ve been waiting for four years for this. To be together. You know...you want it, too. You want to feel me...do this.” He looked down at her face, and stroked her cheek.

“And...this.” He softly kissed her neck, causing her to moan slightly, in spite of her resolve.

“And...this.” He then tilted her face towards him and pulled her close for another toe-curling kiss, causing Betty to continue to melt in his arms. This wasn’t fair, she thought. Who was she to resist Daniel Meade’s charms? He was a world-class seducer of women. A jet-setter. With tons of experience. She had barely gotten to the ‘on ramp’ of ‘jet-setting’ in the bedroom. She felt like a complete idiot when it came to sex, really.

She had only ever been with three men in her life: Walter, Henry, and Matt. And she had dated a handful of other guys in between and after. But men like Daniel? She was so out of her league with him. 

How did she hope to ‘keep up’, once they did...if they did...no, WHEN they did anything...sexual? She gulped, realizing she had no idea how to ‘please’ a man like Daniel. A man who was used to women who knew exactly how to get a guy’s attention. 

A man who...had been married. Had a wife he had loved and wanted to grow old with...now she was getting concerned about not only her inexperience, but the fact that Daniel had already proposed to two women in his life, and married one of them. Not only that, but he had also been fairly serious with Renee Slater, his sworn enemy’s sister! 

How could she even begin to compare to all the women in Daniel’s past? How could she compete with them? With Molly’s memory, with Sofia’s...and Renee’s sexiness? She was just...Betty. Nothing special. 

Just a girl from Queens with fire and passion in her heart. A slightly clumsy, extremely curvy, bossy, sassy girl who had chased her dream across an ocean.

It was as if Daniel was reading her thoughts as he looked into her eyes, taking off her glasses and putting them carefully into his pocket. He tucked back a strand of her hair and kissed her nose.

“Betty, you know you’re so...you mean so much to me. You’ve been the one constant in my life all this time. I had all these other women I thought were so great over the years. But you...you gave me hope. 

You brightened up every dark corner of my world with that metal smile of yours. You really showed me what it meant to be loyal, to be faithful. 

To really strive for something and never give up until you get it. I know now that the only woman I’ve ever really needed, ever truly loved was you. All that glitters isn’t always gold. But you...you’re the real thing. You’re the love of my life, Betty.”

She sighed, looking into his eyes and smiled, “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”

He shook his head and grinned, as he grabbed her hands, “Nope. I’d say you’re making things pretty hard for me, too right now. So...all’s fair in love and war, right?”

They arrived at Harrod’s and Betty ran to greet her friend, “Christina! Hey! How’s William and Stuart?”

“Good. Very good. So...I see you brought along a souvenir from New York, eh?” 

Daniel smiled when he saw Christina, and she greeted him warmly, “Hello there, Daniel! How’s it going? Ooh, besides having a hell of a John Thomas. Is that for moi?” 

She laughed after hugging him, then jumping back slightly, “I’m betting it’s for our little Betty, here, actually. Awe...and here I thought I brought it out of ya! Come, sit, Daniel. 

Take a load off. You can accommodate all three of yer legs there at the table. Try not to salivate too uh...hard over our Betty, will ya, now? 

So...Betty, darlin. How’s tricks, eh? Anything new and interestin come up, lately?”

She barely tried to contain her amusement at Daniel and Betty’s expense. “Ooh, I know! Betty, why don’t you try on some nice lingerie and Daniel can measure yer arse for me! Won’t that be fun?”

Betty rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed with Christina’s teasing and getting rather alarmed at Daniel’s...situation. She handed him a luncheon menu to hold. He shrugged, as if it didn’t bother him a bit, unlike Betty, who fidgeted visibly.

Once she and Christina had gone into a dressing booth, she grabbed her old friend, “Christina! What are you doing? Why are you teasing Daniel about...his...problem, like that? Please stop! It’s embarrassing!”

She shrugged, giggling, “He doesn’t seem all that embarrassed, luv. I’d say he’s proud of his winkie. You seem to be the only one who’s gone buggers. Afraid he’ll be too much for ya to handle?”

Betty nodded at first, “Well, yes, frankly! No! Wait, what do you mean? Ew! No! I mean, I don’t know! Christina! You’re really disgusting sometimes.”

“Nothing disgusting about that, luv. Just...tell me again why you’re ‘waiting’ to have that man nail you to the nearest wall, bed, back seat, whatever’s handy? 

I mean...you’re the one who’s always telling me how much he’s ‘not the same Daniel’ he used to be, he’s so much better. Not the selfish man-whore I came to know and loathe. 

He’s a kinder, gentler Danny. Right now, I’d say he’s a horny toad, ripe for the shagging! So get to shagging, girl! Before he explodes or something. Or you do! 

You’re as ripe as he is! I can tell. You get all...prickly and jumpy. Thinking about those chocolate donuts you love so much are you?” 

Betty shoved her friend, “Christina! Knock it off! I’m not...oh, crap! I am! You’re right. I really don’t know what to do. Daniel’s driving me...crazy.”

“So...tease him back. Drive him crazy. He’s not going to really be able to do anything about his...predicament right now. You’re in public.”

Betty rolled her eyes, “That’s never stopped him before! Remember the Peter Pan statue in Central Park?”

“Oh. Right. Well, keep him out in the open. Don’t let him get you anywhere near a post or a loo...or...especially stay away from dark corners or the furniture section of the store.”

“Great! Thanks. You’re a lot of help!” 

Betty managed to avoid Daniel for a bit, talking mindlessly to Christina and babbling about the magazine, and the weather, and William...the news, anything to distract herself.

Finally, as Christina left after lunch, and getting her measurements, Daniel knocked on the dressing room door, “Are you ready? We should get going if we’re going to get through this city traffic in time to return to the office, Betty.”

She took a deep breath, and pulled him inside, by his tie, “I need your help, Daniel.”

He looked down at her, with the dress she had on around her waist, and her bare waist and bra exposed.

He licked his lips rather nervously, “What do you need, Betty?”

She took another deep breath, this time watching Daniel’s eyes widen as he closely kept them on her breasts when she did.

She smiled flirtateously, “I...think my zipper’s stuck. I can’t get it off.”

“Get what off?” Daniel swallowed hard, looking at her lustfully.

“The dress, silly. I can’t get it over my head or down over my hips. I think the zipper must be caught on some of the material or something. Can you check for me, please?”

He nodded, and put his trembling hands on her rear, searching for the zipper pull. 

She tensed slightly at his touch, and he wiggled the zipper back and forth until he got it out from the material that it was snagged on, and started to zip it up, then smiled, as he leaned down, and whispered, looking at Betty in the mirror, “I can slide it down for you now, Betty. Here it comes. Are you ready?”

She nodded, looking back at him in the reflection, “Uh huh. I’m ready.”

“Are you sure you’re ready?” He turned her around quickly, then in one swift motion, he unzipped her dress, and the moment it fell to the ground, she gasped slightly as Daniel took both of her hands and brought them up against the mirror over her head, and slid one hand slowly and deliberately down her stomach, then kept his eyes on hers as he slid down her panties and dipped his mouth to her left breast, and began licking it, and sucking at her nipple, while his hand made its way between her thighs.

“You...taste so sweet, Betty. I knew you would. I want you so much, baby. Can you...be quiet?”

She nodded, seeming mesmerized as he continued to ‘attack’ her on both ‘fronts’. He dropped to his knees and pushed her gently onto the stool, while he spread open her legs and stroked and pumped her with his fingers, keeping his eyes on hers, then sucked and licked her firmly until she started to moan and arch back, her eyes closed, and her mouth dropped open as she shuddered against him, then let out a little sigh of contentment and her body went slack again. 

He popped his head up and kissed her to keep her quiet, then smiled as her eyes grew wide, while he shook his head in wonder, lovingly touching her right breast, “Oh my God, Betty...you’re so...so… beautiful, honey! You’re amazing! You...I had no idea! 

I mean...your face, those lips...that smile have always captivated me. But all this time. That body…” he ran his hand softy over her breasts and down her waist, then over her ass, “You are incredibly sexy. You know that? You’re making me sweat. You feel that? That’s all for you, sweetheart.”

He put her hand on his erection, which was now even more obvious than before. She breathed out, “I...I’m sorry, Daniel.”

He shook his head, “Don’t be. It’s not like you were teasing me or anything, right?” He laughed, as he saw her discomfort.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m used to it, Betty. I’ll recover. It’s just...I want you to see how great we can be...together. How amazing you are. You drive me crazy. 

Please don’t be shy. Or...worried, okay? I love you. If you love me, too, that’s all that matters, believe me. The rest will come.”

She rolled her eyes, “Daniel…”

He grinned, “Sorry. But you know what I mean. We’ll figure out everything else. Don’t be...nervous. I know you, Betty. You’re worried that things will be...weird or something between us afterwards. But I think us knowing each other so well is a good thing. Did that...feel good before?”

She nodded, “Uh huh. Oh yeah! Really good! Great!”

He grinned, “Really good...great, that’s great! So...just imagine us...both of us...together, me inside you, our bodies working as one...towards a really fantastic, mind-blowing orgasm. 

We can take turns pleasing each other, worshipping one another, and...many, many more than one for you. 

Me, too, with a short break in between. Doesn’t that sound...inspiring? Betty, I don’t just want your body for mindless sex that’s over and done with and we both walk away and go our separate ways afterwards. 

Believe me, I know how shallow and meaningless that is. And I settled for that for a long time, because I didn’t think I would ever know real love. Ever be worthy to feel good enough for better. 

But you showed me I could be better. You made me want more. I know now that’s not what lasts. What changes lives. I want us to really make love. To be one. I want to show you just how much I love you.

After that, we can concentrate better on getting our work done when we’re at the office and then...we can make love all over again at the end of the day when we go home. 

We can have it all, Betty. I promise. I won’t get in your way here. I think I can help you reach your professional goals AND have the best sex of your life, too. Help you feel like a woman and like a boss, both. 

Why would you want to push me away when I can make all your dreams come true? Why should we wait when we can be together right now? Well, after work, at least. 

I’ll back off now. I’m leaving. Just...think about it, okay? About me. About us? You’re adorable when you come, by the way. Very sexy. 

I want to take you home and let you scream all you want, though. Have you make me yell your name, too. I want us to both be sweaty and utterly exhausted, then come back for more, because we can’t keep our hands off each other. How does that sound?”

She gulped, as he nuzzled her neck, while he sat on the stool, holding her firmly on his lap. She could feel him against her, making her want him so much she could barely stand it. Even still being wet from her earlier orgasm, it had merely awakened her desire for Daniel. 

She moved in his lap and heard him moan slightly, “Oh...Betty. God, what are you trying to do to me, girl? Do you really want me to take you right here, right now? Do you know how much I want to? How much I want you? But we both know now’s not the place or time for this. I’ll see you later. 

I’ll stay away from you the rest of the day, I promise. So we can both get some work done. But tonight, I’m picking you up, and bringing you to my hotel. I’m not taking no for an answer. I mean...well, you can say no, of course. If you really don’t want to. But...I hope you won’t.”

She shook her head, and kissed him hard, then surprised the hell out of herself and reached down between his legs to grab him firmly as she looked directly into those amazing eyes of his, “I won’t say no, Daniel. 

You were right. Why should we wait? We’ve waited four years. That’s long enough. I want you, too. I want this to happen. Tonight. I’ll come.” He smirked and she rolled her eyes.

“Again. I mean...I’ll come to your hotel. If you’re still sure.”

He nodded, then kissed her tenderly, and whispered, “Oh, hell yeah, I’m sure. I can’t wait Betty. I’ve been waiting my whole life for you. I’m done waiting. I finally want to make you all mine.”


	8. Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was having a difficult time trying to decide how I wanted to tie this story up. But Alan once again inspired me. Part of the appeal of Betty for me has always been my affinity for her. I could relate to her because my mom wore glasses and her name was Betty. Because I myself had adult braces, and also, because like Betty, I am somewhat of a klutz. I also...well, have a tendency to burn things.  
> I think of myself as a good cook, but I also have ‘accidents’ a lot. Alan is finding that out. He left his portable grill at my apartment, and when I was trying to grill on it for Katrina and I...well, there was an incident with flames and his grill ended up getting water thrown on it and falling to the ground.  
> He just grins and tells me I’m cute when I do these idiotic things. I was afraid to tell him about his grill, but he just shrugged it off, saying he was handy and could fix it and was just happy I didn’t hurt myself. He told a woman at his work that his girlfriend was really clumsy but very cute. So, anyway, I have decided that this was how I wanted to end this story of ‘Starting Over’. I hope you enjoy it. I’m really happy I’ve finally met a guy who appreciates me...just as I am and thinks I’m beautiful.

When Betty arrived back at her office, she found her heart was beating fast, anticipating a night with Daniel at his hotel. What on earth was she thinking? What had possessed her to promise him she would go back over there? Was she crazy? 

Good question! She must be! She knew very well he had gotten her so worked up she hadn’t been thinking straight, of course. The man knew what he was doing. Daniel was no fool. He knew how to seduce any woman he set his sights on. And for some insane reason, he had set his sights on Betty. 

But how could she be sure how serious he was about his feelings? Daniel was so impulsive. He had followed her here to London and given up his job, after all. Then again, that just further proved his case, didn’t it? 

As she tried to concentrate on the rest of her day, she found herself remembering his touch, his lips on hers, how he made her heart pound as she lost herself to him. It felt so amazing, so incredible to have Daniel kissing her, telling her he loved her, wanting to be with her. 

“Miss Suarez? I’m sorry, but are you alright? You seem...a bit distracted! Is this too much for you?”

Betty shook her head, snapping her thoughts back to attention and forcing herself to focus on what Mr. Dunne was saying to her, “NO, sir! I’m fine, thank you. I just neglected to eat lunch and must have gotten a bit lightheaded for a moment, that’s all. 

But I’m quite alright now. On the job and ready to make this the best launch ever! You won’t be disappointed, I promise you!”

He smiled, as he stood to leave, “Excellent, Betty! I knew I could count on you. Well, I’ll leave you to it, then. I trust we should be ready to launch within the timeline we have in place, with no delays, then?”

“No delays, sir. Absolutely! You can depend on it!”

“Wonderful! Take care, then. We’ll speak again next week. I’ll be in Europe until next week-end. I have a merger to discuss with an old business associate. If all goes well, Dunne Publishing should be expanding.”

“Good luck, Mr. Dunne. I’ll see you when you return. Thank you again for this opportunity. I won’t let you down!”

As soon as he left, Betty berated herself for losing focus. This was too much, she thought. Trying to think about a romance with Daniel Meade, of all people, when she was trying to pull off the biggest professional accomplishment of her life? She had to be crazy to even be considering it. Besides, she knew very well that girls like her never ended up with guys like Daniel. Who was she kidding?

She sighed, seeing him, on the phone, acting excited and animated as he worked. What would she tell him, though? That she didn’t know how to have a career and a love life at the same time? 

That she had never been able to do it before and she was scared to death? Not just of losing her job, but of losing...well...him, too.

She had felt like her world had fallen beneath her feet when she first came to London, thinking she would never see Daniel again. Now, she feared it was only a matter of time before she lost him forever this time. 

Once he realized that she was still the same clumsy, awkward girl he had met that first day at Mode, when she had crashed into his life, he would surely run, not walk away, right into the arms of some beautiful, graceful, skinny woman and leave her to her fate of being alone. 

She should have known, after Walter, Henry, Matt...all ending up with her alone again, that she simply wasn’t meant to find love. She was the smart girl with glasses. Not the pretty one who found love.

As she looked up from her computer, she realized suddenly that it was getting dark outside. She saw Daniel, standing in the doorway, a sad look on his face, “So, I got your schedule set for tomorrow. And next week up till Wednesday. Is there anything else I can do for you before I leave, Miss Suarez?”

She bit her lip and shook her head slowly, understanding what he meant. He had seen her, working in her office all afternoon. Daniel knew her better than she knew herself sometimes. He had proven that over and over. He knew when he was getting dumped. 

Before they had even started. He drew a heavy sigh, “Are you sure, Betty?”

She swallowed, and tried to smile, “Yes, Daniel. That’s all, thanks. I think you did a great job today. But...I’m sure you have other things that would be much better use of your time than to be my assistant. Let’s face it; you’re far too good for this job. You’re meant for bigger, better things. We both know that. This could never work.”

He seemed to be fighting with his emotions, trying to keep them in check. Finally, he walked slowly to her desk and pulled her up from her desk, “Okay, Betty. You win. I’ll go for now if that’s really what you want. But you’re wrong about me, you know. You’re wrong about us. We are a great team and you know it. 

I’m not too good for you. You’re too good for me and you always were. I never deserved you as an assistant; you were smarter than I was from day one. YOU are the only reason I survived. I don’t want to hear you running yourself down like that, do you understand me, Betty? We belong together. We were made for each other.”

She didn’t even try to stop the flow of tears, “Daniel...I’m sorry. I just...can’t. I don’t know how to be...in a relationship with you. Friends is all we’ve ever been. It feels so…”

He pulled her up to him abruptly, “Feels so what? Wonderful? Amazing? Intense? You’re scared. I get that. I was, too. Close your eyes and jump. You have to take a chance on us sooner or later, Betty. I’m willing to wait for later. But sooner is better.”

“I CAN’T! Don’t you understand? I’m too scared, Daniel! I’m afraid you’ll leave me because I’m ugly.”

“Oh my God, listen to yourself, will you? You are NOT ugly, Betty! You’re beautiful! I love you! And I know you love me, too.”

“I’m sorry, Daniel. I do want this, it’s just too hard.” She pulled away from him, and ran with all the speed her short legs would take her down the stairs, then out to the street, and finally, to the underground. 

She didn’t stop running once she got off the train, until she reached her flat., then threw herself onto her bed, crying. She cried for hours. 

She cried for herself, because she knew Daniel was right, she was completely, totally in love with him, for Daniel, because she knew she had hurt him, and simply because she didn’t know how to take that first step.

She saw when she finally stopped crying that she had missed a call from her nephew. She called him back, wiping her eyes and trying to pretend everything was fine, “Hey there, Justin. What’s up?”

“What’s up? I don‘t know. You tell me. I wanted to find out how things were going with Mr. Meade, AB. I know he’s finally there, where he should have been all along, with the woman he loves. So now that he is, why aren’t you with him? Why aren’t you together?”

“Justin, honey...it’s...complicated. You wouldn’t understand. Daniel and I are...friends. We do love each other. But, there’s just so much for us to overcome right now. I don’t know if we can make things work...you know, romantically.”

He scoffed, rolling his eyes at his aunt, “You know, Aunt Betty, I love you, and generally, you’re a smart woman, but sometimes, you act so stupid! When it comes to men, you really don’t have a clue!”

“Justin, listen, honey, I appreciate you trying to help, but you have to understand, Mr. Dunne expects me to work my butt off and this is NOT an easy job!”

“Exactly why you NEED Daniel’s help! Having someone who loves you and who you love doesn’t slow you down, AB. The opposite, really. I should know; I’m doing really great now that I have Austin in my life. 

He pushed me away at first, because he was scared, too. But now he sees that together, we can overcome any obstacle.”

“I’m so proud of you, Justin. And I’m glad you and Austin are happy, but…”

“But, nothing! Look, I know you didn’t feel like you could be yourself with any of those other losers you dated, especially Henry! He made you crazy. I hated that about him. I know he wasn’t a bad guy, but he really messed you up. And Matt turned out to be a total jerk, just like his dad was to Mrs. Meade. So it makes sense that you would be scared to trust a man.

But Daniel...you too have something really special together, AB. Something that doesn’t come around very often. I watched you guys together at Mom’s wedding. I saw the look on his face as he kept his eyes on you all night. 

I saw the looks you both gave each other when you were dancing. You belong together. And if I’m the bravest kid you know, where do you think I got it from? Mom’s brave, too. But you always got back up when people knocked you down at Mode. Now, you have to take a risk that Daniel won’t leave you, yes. 

But...like I said before, AB, you’re all about risk. That’s why you’re where you are now.

And that’s why you’re the one Daniel loves, instead of any of those other girls. You’re amazing, Aunt Betty. He sees that about you. We all do.”

“Thank you, Justin. I love you, you know.”

“I know you do. I’m irresistible. It runs in the family. So, are you going to go talk to Daniel and ‘uncomplicate things’?”

“Yes! I promise, Justin. I will. But...I know I hurt him. Again.”

“So? He’s hurt you tons of times. But you always forgave him. Because you, Betty Suarez are totally in love with Daniel Meade.”

“You’re right; Justin. I am.”

“Of course I’m right. Have fun, AB!”

Daniel paced in his hotel room for a while, then took a cold shower, then flopped on his bed, flipping channels on television mindlessly, trying to decide what he should do next, how he was going to convince Betty to give them a chance. 

She was just scared, he knew. She needed time to process this new situation between them, that’s all. She was overwhelmed with work and him coming there now was freaking her out. She was afraid of messing up at work.

But Daniel also knew that they work better as a team. He knew he could really help her, like she always helped him, if she’d stop being so damn stubborn and let him take some of the burden off her she wouldn’t have to be so stressed out!

The woman infuriated him sometimes! She was like a mule! He smiled, thinking about her now. He couldn’t stay angry when he pictured her, even when she was acting so ridiculously, insisting on pushing him away, keeping him at arms’ length. 

It was her defense mechanism, her way to keep herself from getting hurt. He had watched her let her guard down with other men and it had made him furious to see Betty hurting because she had opened herself up and shown her vulnerability.

He wanted to always protect her. Now, she was putting up her armour to keep him out, to protect herself. It made sense, but…

He heard a soft pounding on his door and threw on a towel, trying to remember if he had ordered anything from room service. 

As he opened the door, he saw her, wearing a rain coat and heels. He grinned, “Hey. Didn’t you used to be my boss?”

She nodded, “Uh huh. Just briefly. Didn’t you used to be my boss?”

He nodded, grinning again, “Hmm...I think so. For a long time. I couldn’t get rid of you!”

She smiled shyly, shaking her head, “Maybe not at first. Did you really think a little bad treatment was going to make me quit?”

He shook his head, “Not really. So...are you coming inside? Have you changed your mind about hiring me yet again?”

She stepped inside, and took a deep breath, “This isn’t just about me hiring you back at Dunne, Daniel.”

“It isn’t, huh?”

She shook her head, “No.”

“Then what else is it about? What do you want, Betty?”

She sighed, as she started to untie her coat, revealing a very sexy dress underneath, “Your services.”

He couldn’t help teasing her now, she was so cute, coming here to do a strip tease for him to try and make up for dismissing him earlier. He shrugged, trying to look uninterested, “I suppose... If you really want to do that, I won’t stop you.”

She tried to look at him, reading his reaction, and her hand shook slightly, as she started to untie the knot in her coat. 

She made a face, and he saw that she couldn’t get it undone, so he went to help her, but she shook her head, looking frustrated, “No, I’ve got it, Daniel! I have to do this myself. You can’t always rescue me!”

He laughed, but kept his hand on hers, “Betty...honey, it’s okay to ask for help, you know. It doesn’t make you weak. It just means you aren’t alone. Isn’t that the idea of you coming here tonight? Let me help you.”

She nodded, allowing him to untie the knot slowly, as he looked into her eyes. She turned red, and he looked back down at the knot, “I think I’ve got it now. So...the idea was supposed to be...what, exactly? You...take off this coat, and then...what?”

He grinned, as she stepped closer, letting her coat drop to the floor behind her, “Are you just going to throw your clothes on my floor?”

She started to pick it up, “Sorry! I...oh, right. You’re kidding. Um...yes, I am. I’m going to throw all my clothes down. Is that...alright with you?”

He thought of teasing her more, she was just so damn cute, trying to be sexy for him, but he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, either, so he grabbed her arms, and looked down at her dress, appreciatively, “Oh yeah, Betty. That’s very much alright with me. Can I help you take that dress off, too?”

She shook her head, and saw a curtain, then put in a piece of gum, after taking a deep breath, “No, thank you, Daniel. I’ve got this.”

She stepped behind the curtain, and started to take off her dress slowly, trying to stick out her leg behind the curtain, but Daniel noticed it swaying a bit at the rod, and he rushed over to pull her away from it before it fell on top of her, 

“I want to see you, Betty. All of you. Don’t hide behind anything, please. I’ve been waiting long enough for this. I want to enjoy every second.”

She followed his eyes and looked up to see that the curtain rod was teetering, so she put her hand to her mouth, “Oh my God! Did I do that?”

He grinned, and put his finger and thumb together, “A little bit, Urkel. But don’t worry about it. The staff here is really nice. They’ll fix it later. Right now, I want to get you out of those clothes before you hurt yourself.”

She sat down on the sofa, looking defeated, and throwing up her hands, “It’s no use, Daniel! I can’t be sexy! I tried with Henry and I gave him second degree burns. I tried with Matt and he just ran away...it’s just not me! I’m clumsy!”

He laughed, “Yeah, I’ve noticed.”

“Thanks!”

He pushed aside a strand of hair, and kissed her, “Betty, I don’t care about that! I’m not marrying a stripper!”

“Marrying?” she swallowed her gum, “Did you say...marrying?”

He shrugged, “Well, I mean...you know, uh...well, yeah, like not...right now. But, eventually I do...um, wanna talk about that. But I don’t expect a strip tease every night, you know. I’m not ‘old Daniel’ anymore, Betty. 

You don’t have to entertain me. You don’t have to become some sex expert or do anything crazy in bed to make me happy, either. Just...love me. Let me love you, that’s all I ask.”

She smiled, “Really? But what about...you know, all those women?”

He rolled his eyes, “Betty, can we please try and forget that stuff? I barely remember myself. It was so long ago.”

She gave him a look and he laughed, “Okay, okay. It’s...well, here, how about...I teach you...a few things. Like how to undo a bra. I’m pretty good at that.”

She eyed him narrowly, “Oh really?”

“Yeah, really.” He nodded, as he reached one hand behind her back, and quickly and adeptly unhooked her bra. She gasped, holding it to her in the front.

He grabbed it away, and threw it to the floor, “Hey, I’ve got to make housekeeping earn their hundred dollar tip!”

“You know here, that’s only worth…”

He kissed her, then looked into her eyes, as he took off her glasses and handed them to her, “Yeah, I know the exchange rate, Betty. I meant pound. I have euros and sterling notes, thanks. This isn’t my first trip overseas. It isn’t my first time in London. It isn’t my first time to France. But it is...the first time I get to see you totally…”

She rolled her eyes, “Daniel! You can’t be serious!”

He laughed, and kissed her hand, then intertwining it with his own, he led her into the bedroom, and closed the door, then got a mischievous look, and held up his finger, “Oh, hang on just one more second, okay Betty? Don’t...run away this time. or change your mind again. I’ll be right back!”

As Betty stood there, nervously in front of Daniel’s bed, wearing only her panties, she tried not to feel nervous. This was a huge step for her and Daniel, she knew. One they would never be able to undo. 

Was she doing the right thing in coming here tonight? She had stupidly come over before, without stopping to consider the implications and she felt as if she was Alice, down the rabbit hole the minute she stepped into his room. She still felt somewhat dizzy in his presence now. But she liked it. She liked it very much.

He came back quickly, out of breath, with a gleam in his eye. She smiled, “What are you up to?”

He grinned, looking like a naughty boy, then took a bottle of champagne and two glasses from behind his back, “Nothing much. I just thought this might make you feel more comfortable. And I...uh...put out the Do Not Disturb sign, that’s all. So...uh… Betty ...where were we?” He stepped towards her purposefully, with a gleam in his eye.

She giggled, “You’re so funny, Daniel.”

He stopped, “I am? Wait...is that a good thing? Why am I funny?”

“I don’t know. I mean, not you, really. This. Us. In your hotel like this. It’s...you know, weird, funny. Strange, that’s all. Putting up the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign and bringing champagne...for me.”

He stepped closer to her and put the glasses down on the night table behind her, then poured them each a glass. he handed her one, and held up his for her to clink together, then took a sip, still staring into her eyes, “It’s not that weird, funny, or strange. In fact...I think it’s pretty...hot, actually.”

She gulped down her drink, then licked her lips, and put down the glass on the table, and took his glass out of his hand, and placed it next to hers, looking up at him, “It is. You’re right. I’m...I’m glad we’re doing this. I didn’t mean…”

He cut her off with a kiss, then started walking her closer to the bed, as he stripped off his towel. She ran her hands down his back, then dropped them lower, and tried not to giggle as she realized, she was touching Daniel’s ass. 

He pulled away, and gave her a look, “Are you laughing at me? You know...that could mess with a guy’s confidence, Betty. And right now...I need all I can get.”

She furrowed her brows, then looked down at him, “You...um...don’t seem to have a confidence problem to me, Daniel.”

He smiled, as he glanced down at himself, “No, I meant...well, just don’t laugh right now, okay? This is...special.”

She nodded, suddenly feeling warm, and not just from the champagne, “Uh huh.”

He reached between them and tugged at her panties, then looked down at her incredible breasts, lustfully, “Betty...I...oh my God, honey, you’re so sexy...I have to have you, now!”

After he bowed his head to taste one of her breasts, he helped her lay down and ran his hand over her softly, his eyes following, “I want to touch and taste every beautiful inch of you, Betty. This is going to take all night. I hope you didn’t have anywhere else to be. Because you’re mine, now.”

She let out a slow breath and nodded, “I’ve always been your girl, Daniel. Just so you know, when you’re done; it’s my turn. You’re mine now, too.”

He grinned, raising his eyebrows, “Great! I’m counting on it. I’m so glad you changed your mind. Not to...pull that thread, because I’m really happy that you’re here. But, what made you decide to take a chance on us, Betty?”

She smiled, “Justin did.”

“I see. Smart kid. Remind me to thank him sometime. Now, hold still, this won’t hurt a bit!”

She giggled, “Hold still? Really?”

He shrugged as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, then began dropping soft kisses up and down her smooth skin, “Well, no, not really. You know what I mean.”

She nodded, and wrapped her legs around his waist, and flipped him over, straddling him, and looking down at his surprised expression, “Yeah. I do. And remember, Daniel. You wanted a partner. That means...someone who will challenge you.”

He laughed, and looked up at her breasts, tantalizingly close to his mouth as she leaned over. He nodded, “Okay, Betty. We’ll play your way, honey. Whatever you want. You like it on top? That’s fine with me. I don’t mind at all. There are definite advantages to me being under you.”

He reached up and fondled her breasts and started kissing them, making her moan and arch back. He let her ‘ride him’ for a while, then flipped her onto her back again, looking down at her, “I like it both ways. As long as you’re who I’m with, it doesn’t really matter who’s on top, does it, baby?”

She shrugged, “Well, as long as it doesn’t matter...I...um...oh, Daniel.”

He had entered her some time ago, but she suddenly shivered and moaned loudly, panting, “Oh my God...I...I...wow, don’t stop, please!”

He could see how close she was and he thrust harder, trying to watch her so he could time his own orgasm. But her excitement was getting to him, and he was trying to slow himself down so she finished first. 

But he couldn’t stop the feelings she was giving him. They were too incredible and he couldn’t stop himself from falling over the edge, and calling out, “Betty! Oh God…. baby, I’m...I’m...I’m sorry! I can’t...stop!”

She smiled, and started to giggle that he was apologizing for not stopping when she told him she didn’t want him to...but then she felt herself exploding, clamping down her legs tightly around his waist and riding out a wave of pleasure so intense she had never felt before. 

She finally came down from the rush and collapsed, with Daniel, waiting patiently for her to finish. He smiled, “So...wait, have you never, uh...let me get this straight? You’ve never had an orgasm during intercourse before?”

She shook her head, “No. I...they you know, took care of me first, then we sort of took turns.”

He made a face, “Well, teamwork is a whole lot better. It’s way better if you can do it together.”

She nodded, barely able to speak, “Uh huh. Tell me about it!”

He laughed, as he slowly withdrew from her and lay down next to her, “I love you, Betty.” He stroked her cheek, looking at her angelic face, flushed with the heat of their encounter, “I want you to know how much I love you. You were so worth the wait, baby.”

She took a deep breath and blinked back tears, as she touched her fingers over his jaw, “I love you, too, Daniel. And I agree. You were worth the wait, too. That was…”

He kissed her, “Uh huh. Exactly. So...how about I order us some Thai food and we plan your launch, then go again?”

“Sounds good to me, Daniel. If you think you can do twice in one night.”

He made a face, “Please, Betty. Twice? Do you forget who you’re talking to here? I might be four years older, but I am still Daniel Meade.”

She laughed, “Of course, how could I forget? I have to say, this is much better than waiting outside while you entertain four other girls in one night!”

He made a face, “Oh, yeah...I almost forgot that night. That was...really bad. I was such an ass! I’m sorry, baby. You didn’t deserve that. But, believe me, with you, four times sounds about right. I don’t need too long of a break with the girl I love.”

“And just think, you don’t need air traffic control anymore. It’s just me. I can’t run into myself.”

He laughed, “Well, I don’t know about that, honey. You are kind of clumsy. Cute, but clumsy!”

She shoved him playfully, but he was balanced on his arm, and she caused him to fall off the bed. He grabbed her in his arms, and took her with him onto the ground, however. When they were down, she put her hand up to her mouth, “Oh, my God, Daniel, are you alright?”

He nodded, kissing her hand, “Yeah. I’m great, Betty. I’ve got you, babe. So, I’m good anywhere I land.”


End file.
